An Alien's Bygone
by McSgwizzle
Summary: When the Potato Heads decide to officially name their Little Green Men, it ends up brining more from their kids' past than they bargained for. This is a story about facing the difficulty of parenthood and loving your family. (Rate and review, rated t just to be safe)
1. Chapter 1

**Before you read this story! Shoutout to Bunny-CarrotHunter** **for inspiration for this. :) They gave me the idea, and I couldn't be more excited! Remember to rate and review, and this is the first chapter of many more to come!**

Mischievous, curious, and green. What did these words all have in common? They described her children. Mrs. Potato Head persistently walked around Bonnie's room, dragging her feet in exhaustion. She had spent half an hour looking for her alien children, and couldn't remember the last time she walked rapidly without stopping. Though she was tired, she was in somewhat of a fury. This was the fifth time this month they have done this.

One season was ending, and a new one was beginning. Leaves just started to hit the ground. It was a Thursday afternoon, and Bonnie would be home soon. The toys were all indulged in their daily activities as usual whilst the house was empty of it's owners. However, judging by the time, everyone should start being cautious about the little girl and her parents' arrival.

Thus, Mrs. Potato Head's worry only grew as time slipped.

"I told those boys to be back in the room an hour before Bonnie comes home." Mrs. Potato Head mumbled to herself, looking under the bed for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Lookin' for something, Mrs. P?" Slinky asked, coming out from under the bed. Mrs. Potato Head fumbled back a bit, startled from the dog's sudden appearance.

"Yes." She said, brushing off her surprise. "You weren't under there when I last checked."

"Er, you last checked twenty minutes ago." Slinky admitted to her. Mrs. Potato Head sighed.

"Anything I can do? I've been told I've gotta good nose for finding things." Slinky said, wagging his tail and puffing his chest out all proud-like. Mrs. Potato Head cracked a smile at the dog's smug behaviour.

She put her hands on her hips. "Can you find three green aliens?"

"On it." Slinky said, shoving his nose to the ground, speedily walking around in loops around the room. He past Woody, who lifted his foot out of the way for the incoming dog speeding past, deep focused in his search. The cowboy looked towards Mrs. Potato Head.

"What's he looking for?" Woody gestured to the slinky dog who began sniffing underneath Bonnie's cardboard space ship. Mrs. Potato Head shook her head in amusement.

"My children. You haven't seen them have you?" She asked the sheriff.

He shrugged in response. "Sorry." The cowboy said. "Bonnie's gonna be home soon, shouldn't they be coming back to the room?"

"That's exactly what I've told them over, and over." Mrs. Potato Head admitted. "They're in so much trouble when I find them."

"Well, let us know if there's anything we can do." Buzz said, as him and Jessie approached. "Always up for a little mystery."

"This is merely three mischievous boys who think they can sneak past their mother." Mrs. Potato Head said. "Not on my watch."

"Have you tried asking your blockheaded husband?" Jessie laughed. Mrs. Potato Head looked across the room at Mr. Potato Head, who was heavily invested in a card match of poker with Hamm. The piggy bank put his pile of cards down while giving a smug smirk to Mr. Potato Head, who threw his arms up in frustration and said something that looked like an aggressive challenge for a rematch.

"He's really focused on their game." Mrs. Potato Head said, not wanting to interfere while he was in that state of anger. "I think it's best if no one bothers him."

"Couldn't agree more." Woody said, eyeing as Mr. Potato Head slammed his fist in frustration when looking at his new set of cards.

"Are you kidding me?" Mr. Potato Head spoke to Hamm on the other side of the room. Hamm leaned back in his seat, continuing to smirk while holding his cards. Mr. Potato Head clenched his cards, creating dents in the material.

"Don't lie to me, swine. How come I keep on getting a bad set of cards?" Mr. Potato Head accused, pointing an aggressive finger at his friend.

"Oi, why don't you just give up now and hand over the moustache." Hamm said, putting his winning set of cards down. Mr. Potato Head glared daggers at him, while hesitantly reaching to take his moustache off in utter anger. He stopped part way, when he noticed his wife across the room. Slinky approached her and shook his head while saying something. Mrs. Potato Head let out a sigh while running a distressed pair of hands on the temples of her face.

Mr. Potato Head looked back at Hamm. "I'm putting this cheating game on hold, alright? The missus looks like she needs me."

"Don't try and make excuses." Hamm responded. Mr. Potato Head rolled his eyes.

"Excuses- _shmuses_." Mr. Potato Head waved a hand. "Don't believe me? Come ask what the problem is with me then."

"Fine. Anything for you to stop complaining." Hamm said, already making his way over. Mr. Potato Head followed, watching as his wife asked Pricklepants something, the hedgehog shrugging his shoulders and looking apologetic in response.

"Dear, are you alright?" Mr. Potato Head asked, his voice all of a sudden soft and meaningful. Hamm let out a snort.

"You haven't seen the boys, have you?" Mrs. Potato Head asked. Her husband looked at the clock on Bonnie's shelf. Bonnie would be home soon.

"It's past their curfew." Mr. Potato Head said, looking back at his wife. "That's like, the fifth time this month." Mrs. Potato Head nodded.

Hamm looked at Mr. Potato Head with wonder while raising a sharp eyebrow. A few years ago, he would've let their boys wander aimlessly at Andy's. Now, he was considerate of their curfew? Even the piggy bank somewhat appreciated the change in the spud's ways.

"Yes, and I can't find them." Mrs. Potato Head said.

"Did you try the kitchen?"

"Yes."

"I'll check, again." Mr. Potato Head assured her. Mrs. Potato Head gave him a look that her husband swore her eyes sparkled with happiness, thanking him for his efforts.

"What about you, pork belly?" Mr. Potato Head said, prompting for Hamm to help him.

"Yeah, sure." Hamm said, not that enthusiastically. They proceeded to go to the kitchen while Mrs. Potato Head continued searching around the room.

The spud and pig walked down the narrow hall of the house. They could hear the faint voices of Rex and Trixie yelling, assumingely playing video games on the computer.

"Rex, watch out!" Trixie's screechy voice echoed.

"Ah!" Rex yelled back in response while some serious tapping on the keys can be heard along with the over done sound effects on the computer. Mr. Potato Head and Hamm both exchanged an unamused look, regretting having agreed to this search now.

They turned the corner, looking up at the two toy dinosaurs tapping like maniacs on the key board.

"Oh, I hate these jump scares!" Rex's shaky voice said, as he repeatedly tapped on the space bar. Mr. Potato Head gave a mischievous smirk to Hamm, who nodded in response while also smiling. They both looked up at the two dinosaurs, again.

"Bah!" They both shouted. The plastic of the two dinosaurs practically turned white, as they jumped around and screamed in response. Rex jumped behind Trixie in fear while realizing it was only their two mischievous, and somewhat mean friends. Mr. Potato Head and Hamm proceeded to howl in laughter on the floor, as the shaken dinosaurs looked at each other in shock.

"Th-that's not funny..." Rex said coming out from behind Trixie.

"It's pretty funny from here, lizard boy." Hamm said, wiping his eye in amusement with his hoof.

"Is that all you came here for?" Trixie asked, trying to act tough, though she was still pretty frightened herself.

"Pfft, no." Mr. Potato Head said, calming down. "You geeks haven't seen my kids, have you?"

"No." Rex said, playing with his claws trying to calm himself from the scare. Hamm shook his head.

"I'll give you that, spud head. Your kids are smart at hiding." The piggy bank said, proceeding to look around the kitchen for any signs of the aliens.

"They should be, they _are_ raised by the best." Mr. Potato Head gloated, put his hands on his hips proudly.

Hamm rolled his black marble eyes. "Don't get ahead of yourself, spuddy."

Mr. Potato Head opened his mouth to say something snarky back, until he heard a familiar squeaking and childish giggling coming from somewhere. The four toys looked towards the oven.

"It's coming from the oven!" Rex said, pointing out the obvious as him and Trixie jumped onto the floor from the desk. Mr. Potato Head and Hamm both shook their heads, while approaching the oven.

"Help me get his open, will ya?" Mr. Potato Head said. Hamm, Rex, and Trixie approached the oven, while beginning to create a toy latter for Mr. Potato Head to climb up on. The spud wobbly made it to the top while holding the handle of the oven. Rex stood as the base, shaking while holding the three others.

"Okay, start backing up, Godzilla." Mr. Potato Head ordered from the top. Rex began to back up, but not very steadily. The four toys all flailed backwards, opening the oven door and exposing the little green aliens that stood inside. Mr. Potato Head hit the floor, as many of his parts scattered everywhere.

"It's not my fault!" Rex said, nervously.

"Everything is your fault, God _spilla_!" Mr. Potato Head hissed, putting his parts back in. Hamm approached the open oven, looking at the three green aliens who looked at the adults in shock.

"Is that any example for _your boys_?" Hamm snickered, motioning to the aliens with a head thrust. Mr. Potato Head put in his last part, and marched up to the open oven.

"You three are in so much trouble," Mr. Potato Head said, all parent-like. "You got your mother worried sick."

"Sorryyy." The aliens spoke, apologetic. Mr. Potato Head shook his head.

"You'll just have to hear it from her." He said, prompting for them to come out of the oven. The three aliens exchanged a look of playfulness, before jumping out of the oven. They all landed on top of Hamm.

"Ah!" Hamm yelled, as the aliens bouldered on top of him. "Spud head, tell your kids to stop!"

"Oh, I wish I had a camera." Mr. Potato Head snickered, watching the scene before him. "Keep at it boys, uncle Hamm _loves_ you."

"There you are!" A familiar, feminine voice said. The aliens stopped, while the toys looked towards who came. Mrs. Potato Head, Woody, as well as the rest of the gang entered the kitchen. Mrs. Potato Head went up to the aliens, proceeding to take them off Hamm.

"Thank you. At least someone helped." Hamm said, eyeing Mr. Potato Head. The three alien boys lined up all guilt-like in front of the Potato Heads, as their parents gave them very stern looks.

"What have we told you, over and over?" Mrs. Potato Head said.

"Be in the room an hour before Bonnie gets home." One of the aliens said.

"Why is that?" Mr. Potato Head continued.

"So we don't get caught..." The second alien said, in his normal alien-like voice with a hint of guiltiness.

"Because...?" Mrs. Potato Head prompted for them to finish.

"If we get caught, everyone gets caught..." The third alien finished.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head both exchanged a look and nodded.

"You three just lost half of your 'out of the room' time." Mrs. Potato Head said. "Now, go back."

"Noooo." The aliens all said.

"You heard your mother, go." Mr. Potato Head said, sternly. The aliens waddled with sadness over to Totoro and the Peas in a Pod. The giant fluffy toy proceeded to take the play school toys back to the room.

"Okay, everyone back to the room. Bonnie will be home any minute." Woody said to all the toys, standing with Buzz and Jessie. All the toys proceeded to walk back down the hallway to Bonnie's room.

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head began walking, before they were stopped.

"Not you two." Woody said. The Potato Heads turned around to look at Woody, Jessie, and Buzz. The five of them now stood alone in the kitchen.

"Guys, this is getting out of hand." Woody said to the married couple. "They've been caught outside the room close to Bonnie and her mom coming home, _way_ too many times."

"You don't think we know that, sheriff?" Mr. Potato Head snapped. "You try being a parent."

"Don't try an' put this on us, Potato Head." Jessie said, accusingly.

"Woody's right, guys." Buzz said, trying not to be too harsh. "They're putting a lot at risk for everyone."

"I know, we're sorry. They've really been stepping out of line." Mrs. Potato Head said, distressed. Her husband put a comforting arm around her.

"You know, I read a study somewhere that kids respond better when you use their names for discipline." Buzz explained to the two of them. "Maybe if you guys try using their names strictly they'll better listen."

The Potato Heads once again exchanged a look, before looking back at the trio awkwardly. The three all budged their eyes at them in shock.

"Holy cow, you guys haven't named them?" Woody said. "And you've had them for what, years?"

"Hey, we've never been associated with stuff like that." Mr. Potato Head defended. "Take a look at us, we have our names because some guy invented it like that!"

"But ya didn't think of somethin' to at least call the critters by?" Jessie said. "Ain't that kind of rude?"

"You wanna talk rude, cowgirl? It's not like you guys ever bothered to ask what their names are!" Mr. Potato Head batted at her. The cowgirl proceeded to lower her hat in an aggressive manner, challenging him for a fight. Buzz held her back, while Mrs. Potato Head held her husband back.

"Guys!" The cowboy shouted getting in between the two. "Okay, I get it, being a toy with a brand name restricts stuff like that. But, I think Buzz has a point."

"What's a space ranger doing reading parenting tips, anyway?" Mr. Potato Head ridiculed.

"It wasn't on purpose, Andy's mom had a book like that that she just left open one day." Buzz explained, "come on guys, at least try."

"We will, we promise." Mrs. Potato Head spoke for her and her husband. Mr. Potato Head wanted to continue and argue, but heard the distress in his wife's voice. He had to draw the line at some point, and that was it. He took hold of her hand and squeezed it.

"Don't fret, guys." Woody assured. "I'm sure all parents feel-"

Before the cowboy could even finish that note, the toys tensed at the sound of keys jiggling at the front door near the kitchen. They were home. All five toys took off faster than a blink in an eye, speeding back to Bonnie's room before the little girl could make it there first when she entered the house soon after they bolted.

The sounds of the girl's larger footsteps could be heard trailing not that far behind them from around the corner of the hall as they made it back to Bonnie's room. They ran through the bedroom door like a flock of frightened birds. The rest of the toys took notice to their actions, and all ran to place as well. Woody went limp on the carpet along with Jessie and Buzz, as Bonnie had left them. The Potato Heads ran across the room, their plastic feet working like motors out of instinct. They came into a shaky halt going frozen right as Bonnie entered.

"Hi, toys!" Bonnie's squeaky voice greeted as she threw her bag down. It took no more than two seconds for Bonnie to pick up Hamm and indulge into another playtime session with her toys.

"Oh, no! Dr. Porkchop kidnapped the villagers!" Bonnie exclaimed as she flew Hamm around the room, grabbing some of her other toys in the process. Though the Potato Heads remained in their lifeless toy state, their eyes flickered at each other quick enough to express the same feeling.

That was far too close.

* * *

Later that night, the house was quiet. While autumn days were windy and louder, the nights brought an extra amount of silence to the entire room. So much, it made the toys extra careful to not wake Bonnie if they weren't asleep themselves.

Mrs. Potato Head looked up at Bonnie in her bed from the floor. The little girl slept softly with Woody tucked in her arms. The sheriff also slept pleasantly in her warm grip. Despite having a joyful playtime that recent afternoon, Mrs. Potato Head couldn't help but feel grief while looking at the two sleep.

"They're sleeping." Mr. Potato Head whispered, having just tucked in their three alien children. He walked from the corner of the room where his kids all slept silently near the Peas in a Pod as well. "Your turn tomorrow night."

Mrs. Potato Head didn't respond and continued to look up at Woody in Bonnie's arms. Mr. Potato Head looked at where his wife was looking and shook his head.

"Don't listen to that sheriff." Mr. Potato Head ridiculed, eyeing the sleeping cowboy bitterly. "I'd like to see him try an' raise three kids."

"Sh." Mrs. Potato Head quickly turned and shushed her husband. She looked back at Bonnie, who merely shifted in her sleep. The married couple relaxed.

"Sorry." Mr. Potato Head said quietly, again. The Potato Heads sat on the floor for the time being. It was clear to both of them that neither wanted to go to sleep. But to another, one was clearly conflicted.

Mr. Potato Head took hold of his wife's hand. "Why do you care what _he_ thinks?"

Mrs. Potato Head looked at her husband with tired eyes. "We almost got caught, today. Bonnie nearly saw us."

Mr. Potato Head's face softened, and he looked towards their alien children. The three still remained asleep while huddled close to each other like the real brothers they were.

"And what about next time?" Mrs. Potato Head continued. "If we don't get them to realize how unsafe they're being, Bonnie or her parents might just catch them."

Mr. Potato Head let out a sigh. He couldn't disagree. The thought alone about what would happen if their boys were caught sent chills through him, as well. Mr. Potato Head looked back up at Woody sleeping in Bonnie's arms.

"I can't believe I'm about to say this..." Mr. Potato Head began. "But, I guess Woody's right. If we name them _properly,_ I think we have a better chance at showing them how to be safer on their own."

"That would sure take a lot of pressure off us." Mrs. Potato Head said, relaxing for the first time in a while. Mr. Potato Head put an arm around her, and she rested in his embrace.

"You're right, every toy should learn the necessary precautions." Mrs. Potato Head agreed with her husband. "Especially in case..."

The female spud drifted off, and her husband squeezed her shoulder. One of the many deepest fears of these two toys, besides maybe seeing the love of their life being sold in a yard sale, was the thought of their kids being sold. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head had a thousand more times of a chance to never be separated, because they're a toy set together. But no human would ever recognize the aliens as being a part of their family. It was so simple, and could happen at any moment.

But as parents, they couldn't fear the worse. All they could do was love their kids, and prepare them in case heaven forbid they were separated and they needed to survive on their own.

"I know, dear." Mr. Potato Head responded, though she barely even said it. "But remember, they were safe before I even found them."

"As a car mirror dangler." Mrs. Potato Head said, bitterly. "Being a toy is a whole different spectrum."

Mr. Potato Head merely held her closer. The silence of the house felt creepy all of a sudden, and having her nearby was comforting.

"You think we're bad parents?" Mrs. Potato Head asked. Her husband felt an unsettling feeling wave through him, again. At the same time, he looked at her with disbelief.

"Honey, you work harder as a mom than anyone ever could." Mr. Potato Head simply said. "Trust me, I doubt you're a bad parent."

For a woman like her, it was hard to convince her for most. But, her husband somehow had a way of doing so. Mrs. Potato Head smiled, and adjusted her husband's crooked ear. She straightened it back to place. "You're not so bad, yourself."

The Potato Heads remained in their seated position, holding each other close. It wasn't long until that seated position was no more, and they were both lying on the ground. They still held each other, both getting tired by the second. Mrs. Potato Head was the first one to fall asleep.

"Goodnight, sweet potato." Mr. Potato Head whispered, before falling asleep himself.

Across the room, one of the aliens peered over his shoulder. He looked at his sleeping parents from afar. The alien turned back to lying on his side, looking at his two other brothers that were also lying down and looking at him.

"Curses." The first alien said in a hushed voice. "There will be no midnight walk tonight, brothers. We must regain energy, instead."

"Remember when we walked around the pizza mobile of power?" The middle alien said, recalling their days in the Pizza Planet truck. "And then she got mad-"

"SH!" The two other aliens quickly covered their middle brother's mouth. He squeaked in the process, their hands hitting his material fast. The first alien looked over his shoulder again, to make sure none of the toys had awoken. Everyone scattered around the room remained asleep, including their parents.

The two uncovered their hands from their third brother.

"We don't speak of that, brother." The first alien said.

"Mommy could never know."

"Whyyy?"

"It would hurt her feelings." The first said, peering over his shoulder to look at their mother again. She remained sleeping in her husband's arms.

"To know we had a mother alien before her."

* * *

Across the way of the suburbs in town, in an auto shop right at the crossing line of the downtown part of the city, a Pizza Planet delivery truck sat in the garage. The workers of the shop had just turned the lights off and locked up for the night.

The Pizza Planet delivery truck that was being fixed sat locked there. The glass panel of the trunk into the drivers seat began to shift, something opening it. Two objects jumped into the front seat.

Two toys, or inanimate objects, from Pizza Planet stood there. One of them was a rubber version of a pizza with muscular white arms and rubber red converse on his feet. His face consisted of fake pepperoni with bulging white eyes and black pupils, and a red mouth and pepperoni nose and moustache.

The other toy was a green, female alien. She was taller than the pizza toy. She was a squeaky toy, with eight long, stiff rubber legs that held her up. She wore a blue jumpsuit with a cape in the back. She had three bright blue eyes, an antenna, and a golden crown with the Pizza Planet symbol on it. Her ears were large and pointy, and her face had a lurking look of displeasure in her triple ice blue eyes.

"From what the mechanic said, this truck should be up and running by tomorrow." The pizza toy said in a gruff, humble voice.

The other toy didn't respond, and looked up at the driver's mirror of the car. A piece of broken string hung from the mirror, where three green little aliens use to remain.

Her eyes flickered with anger. "It's been over ten years." She spat. "Ten years since they've been gone."

The pizza toy rolled his eyes. "This, again? You'd think you'd get over it after a DECADE."

The female alien toy turned to look at the pizza with anger. "Don't test the mother alien! I saw it with my own three eyes."

"I'm the only other toy here, I've heard this over and over. I was THERE for it." The pizza complained. "Do you have to repeat it?"

"That day." The mother alien said through gritted teeth. "If only we weren't locked in the trunk, I could've stopped them from being taken. By that... _thing_."

The pizza toy arched an eyebrow. "That potato toy? Don't you remember him saving them from falling out of the window? We saw the whole thing from behind the window of the trunk."

"And then he stole them!" She snapped.

"They followed him..."

"Bah!" She looked up at the moon out the window. "We're lucky the owners found the truck at the airport before we were towed. But, we still need to find them."

"Give it up, will you? It's been practically eleven years, there is no way of finding them."

"Never say never, my pet." The mother alien said, continuing to look at the moon from the high window of the garage. "Never say never..."

 **To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

" _To infinity, and beyond!_ " Buzz's voice box spoke when Bonnie pressed one of his buttons. The little girl ejected his wings, and pretended to fly him around the room. She picked up Jessie too.

"Come on, cowgirl!" Bonnie spoke through Buzz Lightyear. "Woody can't save the Potato Heads, himself!" She motioned towards the bed, where she had laid Woody on the bottom of the pillow as if he was climbing it. The Potato Heads stood on top, underneath a small laundry basket that Dolly was plopped on top of.

"Ha, ha, ha!" Bonnie fake cackled as Dolly. "You'll never reach your friends now, sheriff! Not without your two little friends to help!"

"Not today, witch!" Bonnie spoke as Buzz, pretending to fly him in with Jessie holding on. She knocked Dolly off the basket, who fell onto the floor right on top of the LGMs, allowing them to squeak.

"Hurray!" Bonnie cheered, taking the basket off to 'free' the Potato Heads.

"Okay, you." Mrs. Anderson said, walking into the room and smiling amusingly at her daughter's playtime behaviour. "Your dad wants to know if you want to order pizza."

The little girl perked up and turned around at the word 'pizza.' She quickly tossed Buzz and Jessie onto the bed and ran out her bedroom door, her mom closing it and laughing lightheartedly.

The toys came to life as soon as she was gone.

"Sorry there, little guys." Dolly said, getting off of the green aliens she was dropped on. The aliens got up as well, not minding at all. "Hope your mom doesn't mind."

"I don't." Mrs. Potato Head called from the bed. Dolly and the aliens both looked up at the bed from where her voice came from, smiling amusingly.

On top of the bed, Jessie and Buzz approached Woody and the Potato Heads. Mr. Potato Head took a sock off of his head.

"A laundry basket." Mr. Potato Head ridiculed. "Of all things, a laundry basket."

"Come on, Potato Head." Jessie said. "Ya gotta admit, that was a great playtime."

"It _was_ exhilarating." Mrs. Potato Head agreed.

Mr. Potato Head through the sock aside. "Yea, I guess."

"Oh sure, you agree as soon as she does." Jessie pointed out. Mr. Potato Head shot her an angry look.

"You know what-"

"Guys, come on." Buzz said, before the spud could snap back. "Do we want to get into this now? Bonnie can come back at any moment, and you guys will be-"

"Bonnie's coming!" Hamm yelled from the floor. Everyone went into a flurry around the room, going back to their positions. Dolly went and laid back down on top of the aliens. Woody, Jessie, and Buzz all went limp on the bed. The Potato Heads ran back to the pillow, and Mr. Potato Head unwillingly put the sock back on his head. They both went lifelessly stiff.

"Where are my aliens?" Bonnie said, entering the room. She went and picked up the three aliens. "We're ordering pizza from your home planet, Pizza Planet!" Though she was frozen, Mrs. Potato Head's eyes shimmered watching the little girl she cared about take such good care of her children.

"Yes, and I would like it delivered to 1225 Sycamore." Mrs. Anderson said, standing in the doorway of Bonnie's bedroom and talking on her phone.

"The aliens need to get back to their home planet!" Bonnie said, indulging into a new playtime scenario. "But, how can they do that when One-eyed Bart and his attack dog want to stop them?" The little girl proceeded to also pick up Slinky and Mr. Potato Head.

"Okay, pizza is on it's way." Mrs. Anderson said, putting her phone back in her pocket. "Bonnie, you want to help me set the table?"

"Can some of my toys help?" Bonnie asked with big eyes, still holding Mr. Potato Head, Slinky, and the LGMs.

"Sure, honey." Mrs. Anderson said through a chuckle. Bonnie once again walked out the door with the five toys she was holding, her mom closing the door behind them. The toys came back to life, again.

"Pizza Planet." Buzz said. "Haven't heard that in a while."

"Speaking of which." Woody said, looking towards Mrs. Potato Head. "Have you guys decided on names for them, yet?"

"No, not yet." Mrs. Potato Head said, now more excited about the idea.

"Anything in mind?" Jessie asked.

"I'm not sure. I think something that defines the difference between the three of them." Mrs. Potato Head explained. "You know, that shows that they're not entirely the same."

"Seems valid." Woody said. "It's nice to know they're still individual."

Mrs. Potato Head nodded. "When you spend enough time with them, you can tell the difference between triplets."

Jessie smiled and put an arm around Buzz. "It's nice how much you care for them, Mrs. P."

Mrs. Potato Head also smiled. "Thank you, Jessie."

* * *

"By the sound of it, seems like we have another pizza delivery." The pizza toy said while him and the mother alien were in the trunk of the Pizza Planet truck. "I told you we'd be back in business by today."

"Back in business?" The mother alien ridiculed, peeking through the glass panel of the trunk into the driver's seat. The red-headed pizza delivery guy drove the truck, while the ordered pizza in it's delivery bag sat beside him.

She jumped back down to the floor of the trunk. "This isn't _our_ business. We're merely advertisements for it."

"Are we? We've spent years in this trunk because the first guys who drove this agreed to hold onto us when there was no room in the arcade. Now we got red-head high school boy driving the truck." The pizza toy said, motioning to the driver.

"I suppose." The mother alien agreed. "Even the alien boys were here before us. But when we find them-"

"Let it go, already." The pizza toy said. "They hated you. Why do you think they tried running away so many times? No wonder they'd rather be with that potato that saved their lives."

"Oh, please. He caught them from flying out a window." The mother alien ridiculed. "Any fool can do that."

"I'm not talking about the window." The pizza toy said, putting his hands on his hips. "You know that they were grateful because he saved them from something else..."

The mother alien shot him an icy glare. "How dare you-"

"We're here." The pizza toy said, noticing the truck coming to a stop. The pizza delivery boy took the pizza and stepped out of the car, locking it behind him. The two toys peered out the window. The house was a cute, suburban, yellow panel home.

"1225...Sycamore." The pizza toy read from afar.

"Somewhat quaint I suppose." The mother alien said, eyeing the house. "What was the order?"

"A large cheese, half pepperoni." The pizza toy informed.

"Hm, I suppose a small family."

"Why is _this_ our option for pastime?"

The mother alien shook her head, and continued to watch the pizza delivery guy carry the order to the door. He ran the doorbell, and a few moments later a woman with brown hair in a low back ponytail and glasses answered.

"Huh." The pizza toy leaned against the glass of the window out of boredom. "I was expecting a-"

The pizza toy was interrupted by the mother alien's loud gasp. He looked at the green toy with confusion, while she continued to stare wide-eyed at the door. The pizza toy looked towards the front door to see why she was shocked.

A brown-haired little girl stood next to her mother at the front door. She carried toys in her arms, a slinky dog, a Potato Head, and three squeeze toy aliens. The pizza toy stared at the toys in shock, too. In that moment, he didn't know what to believe.

"What did I tell you, pet?" The mother alien spoke. Her face was no longer shocked, and all of a sudden wicked looking. "Never say never."

The pizza toy stood frozen for a second, before shaking his head. "No, there's no way. For all we know, that's a different potato. And the aliens, those are sold at all Pizza Planet branches."

"No, look at the slinky dog." The mother alien pointed towards the dangling slinky dog in the little girl's arms. "He was in the car too, remember?"

The pizza toy sighed. "I know I'm gonna regret this...yeah, that's totally them."

The mother alien quickly jumped over to the edge of the back window of the trunk. She ran her hands along the bottom of the window, coming in contact with the lock. "Help me get this open, pet."

The pizza toy rolled his eyes, and proceeded to unwillingly help her unlatch the lock of the back window of the truck. They tugged on the latch, until it swung left. The mother alien looked back at the front door. The woman had finished paying and closed the door, as the delivery boy began to make his way back to the truck.

"Hurry, before we take off." The mother alien urged. The pizza toy proceeded to pushed on the glass window with his white muscular arms, until it was edged open a bit. The mother alien jumped out first, with the rubber pizza toy following after. As soon as his red rubber converse hit the concrete of the ground, the truck took off, blowing gas in their vision.

They coughed until the smoke cleared up, looking at the little suburban house in front of them. A smirk developed on the mother alien's face, as she began to walk from the street to the property.

"What's your plan, exactly?" The pizza toy ridiculed. "Marching up to the little girl and demanding that she give you her alien toys?"

"Don't be a jester." The alien snapped, as they snuck through the white picket fence onto the grass. "The girl must keep them in her dormitory."

"Bedroom." He corrected.

"Quiet, you."

They proceeded to walk around the left side of the house, crossing the parking lot and the garage.

"You don't think her room would be in the front?"

"Use your eyes, pet. That's where the common area and cookery is."

"It's a living room, and kitchen. Honestly, get a thesaurus."

"Sh!"

The two toys continued to walk around the side of the house, having to walk through some bushes. It was darker than it had been previous days, the sun setting early determined how fast autumn was already passing.

They approached a room at the other end, that had it's lights on in the room. There was only one way to find out for sure.

"Come on now, help me up." The mother alien said, climbing on top of an empty watering can. The pizza toy rolled his eyes, and climbed up as well. She climbed onto his shoulders, and boosted her up.

"Not all the way, pet. Just in case humans are in the room."

Her instincts were correct. The little girl that had stood at the front door with her mother seemed to have just entered the room, still carrying the slinky dog, Potato Head, and three squeaky aliens. She quickly put them on the ground, and ran out her bedroom door.

"The little scamp has ran off for her pizza, it's all clear." The mother alien said, hoisting herself onto the window sill. The pizza toy jumped and pulled himself up as well. They both looked through the window cautiously, not be seen.

The toys that laid scattered around the room all came to life. The two Pizza Planet toys kept their eyes on the Mr. Potato Head who patted his sons on their heads in a fatherly manner.

The mother alien eyed him with a bone chilling glare. "The kidnapper." She spat through gritted teeth.

"Well, you gotta admit, they look happier." The pizza toy said.

"Hush." The mother alien said. "Why is he so happy? He didn't look that way when-"

She stopped her sentence, when the aliens stopped playing with their father and ran to something else. A female Potato Head approached them, smiling. They ran and surrounded their mother in a hug. The male spud approached and put his arms around his family. He kissed the female spud on her cheek, who giggled ticklishly in return.

The mother alien's frozen stare was replaced with an icy smirk, once again. "Well, well. Looks like the kidnapper has a significant other."

The pizza toy let out a long whistle. "That's one hot potato." He said, lustily surveying Mrs. Potato Head.

The mother alien rolled her eyes. "Enough, you. We're here to get my aliens, and I won't let some vegetables stand in the way of it."

"Actually, a potato is really a starchy-"

"Hush!" The mother alien shouted. "We're marching in there, and getting them back."

"That's your plan? Nuh-uh. You wanna get those aliens back? We're doing it my way."

The mother alien looked towards the pizza toy, indignantly. "And what exactly is that?"

"We take this cautiously." the pizza toy explained. "Make it seem like we're not here for any specific purpose. Nothing abrupt."

"Fine."

Inside the room, the toys began to gather around in the middle. Woody approached the Potato Heads, smiling.

"You're a pretty cute family." the cowboy said. Mr. Potato arched an eyebrow.

"What's it to you, sheriff?" The spud responded, keeping his arm around his wife, who adoringly straightened one of her son's antenna.

"Well you know, the sooner we name your boys, the sooner it's safer for everyone." Buzz explained, many of the toys nodding in agreement. In response, Mr. Potato Head's mouth went open in shock.

"Wait a sec, you just want us to name them, just to keep yourselves all safe?" Mr. Potato Head ridiculed. "And I'm the one that's selfish."

"Think of it was promoting a cautious environment." Dolly suggested, giving an awkward smile.

Woody shook his head. "Guys, of course not. We just wanna help."

Mrs. Potato Head stopped straightening her son's antenna, and let her boys go off to play by themselves. "Well, I suppose suggestions could always help."

Woody smiled, and turned to the rest of the toys. "You heard 'em guys. Who's first?" Immediately, all the toys raised their hands eagerly. Mr. Potato Head eyed them all and leaned over to his wife.

"If we regret this, it might be your fault." The spud told his wife, who shook her head in response.

"Pricklepants?" Woody asked the hedgehog, who had his paw raised actively.

Mr. Pricklepants cleared his throat, and stepped forward. "You have three strapping young boys. They must take after a strong male figure."

Mr. Potato Head's annoyance was replaced with a flattered, egotistic look. He put his hands on his hips, proudly. "Well, I won't disagree to that."

"I was reffering to the space ranger." Pricklepants said, motioning to Buzz. Mr. Potato Head's expression dropped back to annoyance, while many of the toys exchanged snickers amongst each other.

"I get to veto anything I don't like, right?" Mr. Potato Head asked.

"Come on, let him finish." Woody urged. Pricklepants nodded.

"As I was saying." He continued. "They don't just deserve names, they deserve titles."

Mrs. Potato Head cracked a small smile. "That's very sweet."

"From Shakespeare's famous tragedy, Hamlet," the hedgehog said, "Hamlet, Claudius, and Gertrude."

Many of the toys exchanged some impressed looks, while the other half looked on judgementally. And of course, Mr. Potato Head wasn't impressed at all.

"Nope. I refuse." Mr. Potato Head said, crossing his arms.

"Just picture it-"

"No way, I'm not naming my kids after some drama characters." The male spud spat.

Mrs. Potato Head tried to secure the situation. "I think what he means to say is, they might be a little too...broad for our boys."

"Well, I think it's more of a dilemma that Gertrude was a girl." Hamm pointed out. Buttercup nodded in agreement.

"Why don't you guys name them something more modern?" The unicorn suggested. "Like James, Micheal, and Robert."

"Oh sorry, I didn't realize we were raising go-lucky suburban kids from the 50s." Mr. Potato Head joked. "What else?"

Hamm stepped forward. "Maybe Einstein, or-"

"Dismissed, next!"

"Oh!" Trixie chimed in. "When Rex and I play Space Warriors on the computer, we named our characters-"

"I don't even wanna know." Mr. Potato Head said, before Trixie could answer.

"Oh, forget it!" Jessie yelled, quieting the room. "Potato Head, if you can't take suggestions, just pick your own names."

"Pleasure." Mr. Potato Head said. He turned to his wife. "Anything you had in mind?"

Mrs. Potato Head looked towards all their friends. "Well, they're all great suggestions-"

Mr. Potato Head let out a snort, and his wife nudged him. "But, I think their names should capture why they're different. I mean, that's one of the best parts about being a toy, right? Having a name that can be interpretive."

Woody and Buzz smiled, while exchanging a look.

Mrs. Potato Head looked towards her boys in the corner, and back at her husband. "I think you can take the final lead."

Mr. Potato Head smiled at his wife in return, and looked at their sons. They've noticed differences about their kids for a long time now, and it was time to put it to use.

One of the aliens pushed at a styrofoam soccer ball that Bonnie had left lying around. He gave it a harder push, scoring in between Bonnie's plastic play tea set, and a worn out colouring book as though it was a soccer net. When he scored, the alien jumped in amusement.

"Okay." Mr. Potato Head said pointing to the first alien, "that one there, that's, uh...Champ."

They looked towards the second alien, who approached a loan piece of loose leaf. Without hesitation, the second alien proceeded to fold the paper with his green little hands into a perfectly made paper airplane. He threw it, and it flew past the rest of the toys who ducked so it wouldn't hit them.

"That's...Brainy." Mr. Potato Head said, looking at the second alien.

They looked towards the final alien, who met up with his two other brothers. The LGMs hoisted themselves up onto a stack of books. Well, at least the first two did. The third lagged a bit, struggling to hoist his tiny body onto a thin pile of books. He finally squirmed his way up, before he tripped back and his brothers pulled him in before he could fall.

Mr. Potato Head shook his head. "And that's Squirt."

Mrs. Potato Head pondered for a second. "Champ, Brainy, and Squirt." She repeated. "It seems right."

Mr. Potato Head smiled, and took both of his wife's hands in his, lovingly. "I think I just named our kids."

"Yeah, after a decade of having them." Hamm commented. Though her husband was annoyed with the piggy bank as usual, Mrs. Potato Head couldn't help but smile. Her boys finally had names that really showed their individuality.

"There you go, guys!" Buzz said, encouragingly. "Sometimes things are way easier than we-"

 _THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_

The loud noise startled all of the toys. Thinking it was Bonnie returning to her room, instinct kicked in and everyone ran back to place and went lifeless. The little girl didn't arrive at the predicted time rate that she usually did. In fact, she didn't show up at all. They stood frozen for a good while, but were all confused. One by one, everyone raised their heads, and eventually rolled back onto their feet. Looks were exchanged amongst everyone.

"What the ham hock was that?" Hamm asked first, breaking the silence. No one responded, and kind of just stood in place in case it really was Bonnie coming back. Buzz stepped forward towards the door, while giving back-hand military signs to Woody, who tip toed ahead of Buzz near the door. They waited a few more moments, and it was silent.

Woody looked back at everyone. "Might've just been the wind."

"Wind isn't that loud." Dolly said.

"Uh, guys?" Rex spoke up. Everyone turned to look at the dinosaur, expecting it to have been something he might've done by accident. Instead of looking back at them, Rex had his back turned and looked up at Bonnie's window.

Everyone looked up as well, and were surprised to see two strange toys looking down at them from the other side of the window. One seemed to be a rubber pizza with feet, arms, and a face. The other was some sort of queen alien.

And she didn't look happy.

"Uh, I think we have company." Hamm said, stepping forward to get a better look at the toys they've never seen before. Buzz came and stood by the piggy bank. The space ranger ejected is helmet so there was no glare, and he could get a better look at the toys.

"From the looks of it, I'd say we've got visitors from Pizza Planet." Buzz said, recognizing the Pizza Planet symbol on the alien's crown.

"Pizza Planet?" Jessie said, "how is that possib-"

 _THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_ The female alien once again angrily knocked on the window three times. All the toys jumped at the unexpected loud noise of her fist hitting against the glass. She gave a cold lock stare at them, displeasure boiling in her three blue eyes.

"Geez, who pulled on her antenna?" Mr. Potato Head scorned at the newcomer.

It was just then that everyone heard an abrupt amount of squeaking noise. Everyone looked towards the LGMs, who hastily ran towards Bonnie's open closet. Never had anyone seen them run so fast. As soon as they were at the closet, they threw themselves inside and Champ closed the door behind them.

"What's the matter with them?" Buttercup asked. The Potato Heads exchanged a look, having no idea.

 _THUMP! THUMP!_ The female alien knocked on the window for a third time, then yelling some afterwards that was muffled by the glass.

"Buzz, help me get this open." Woody said, climbing up onto the window sill. The space ranger followed, and they both unlatched the window lock and pushed it up and open. As soon as it was open, the mother alien put her hands on her hips.

Mrs. Potato Head didn't know what it was, but as soon as the two toys crossed the threshold of the house, something unsettling bubbled inside her. She's felt this feeling before, but only when she was worried for someone's safety. She crossed her arms, trying to make herself seem slightly smaller. Unnoticeable.

"Three times until you decided to answer?" The mother alien spoke, bitterly. Woody and Buzz once again exchanged a look.

"Don't mind her, she's had ants in her pants since day one." The pizza toy explained.

"Sorry, we have a kid in the house. We first thought it was her." Woody explained.

"Yes, we could tell when you all went limp." The female alien hissed.

The pizza toy rolled his eyes and gave his hand to Buzz. "The name's Pizza Man."

Buzz shook his hand in return. "Buzz Lightyear, at your service." He was unaware of Pizza Man's recognition of him when they stole the Pizza Delivery truck all those years ago.

"Psst, check out the arms on him, spud head." Hamm whispered to Mr. Potato Head. "Like yours, but you know, actually strong."

"Put a cork in it, will ya?" Mr. Potato Head whispered back. "I could so take him in a fight."

"I'd pay money to see that go down."

Pizza Man, Woody, Buzz, and the mother alien jumped down from the window sill onto the floor.

"And you are?" Jessie asked the mother alien, who had not yet introduced herself. The female alien gave a side glance to Pizza Man, who subtly nodded. He was right, taking this too abruptly might prevent her from getting what she wants.

"The Martian Queen." She finally said. "Queen Martian, is fine." The queen offered her hand to Jessie, but eyed Mr. Potato Head very suspiciously. Mr. Potato Head merely arched an eyebrow at her glare.

"Well howdy, glad to meet ya." Jessie said as her chipper self, shaking Queen Martian's hand roughly. The mother alien was taken by surprise, but pressed her lips together firmly so she wouldn't lose her cool.

"So, you folks are from Pizza Planet?" Dolly chimed in, being friendly.

"Yeah, one of the delivery trucks." Pizza Man explained.

"Oh, you guys must've came from the truck from their delivery." Woody concluded. "What brings you here?"

Queen Martian and Pizza Man's eyes both widened. They exchanged a look.

"Well, um...we've just been spending years in that delivery truck, and we were tired of it." The Pizza Man lied. "We don't plan on staying here, we just needed to jump off somewhere."

Queen Martian slowly nodded along with Pizza Man's lie, hoping the toys would buy it. As soon as Woody nodded in believment, they both relaxed a bit. From there perspective, it seemed the sheriff was the leader. Eventually, conversation broke everywhere, and the two newcomers were talking to each of the toys one by one.

But, Queen Martian was only interested in two specific spuds across the way.

So was Pizza Man, but for different reasons.

"Can I just say, ma'am," Pizza Man said to Mrs. Potato Head. "There must be something wrong with my eyes, because I can't seem to take them off you." He gave a little flick of his pepperoni moustache. Mrs. Potato Head widened her eyes a bit, while Queen Martian rolled her's.

Mr. Potato Head shot a displeased look at the flirtatious toy. "Hey, keep it in your crust, will ya?"

Pizza Man put put his hands up in defence. "My bad. My apologies, ma'am."

"Married couple, huh?" Queen Martian crossed her arms across her chest. She glared daggers at Mr. Potato Head. "In a group full of single toys."

"Oh, you get used to it." Mrs. Potato Head said, her husband nodding in agreement. "Besides, we're not the only couple that has sprouted." The female spud looked across the room at Jessie and Buzz.

Mr. Potato Head scoffed. "Yeah, took them long enough. After years of crushing on each other and not doing anything about it."

Queen Martian looked towards Jessie and Buzz, too. She gave a disgusted look. "A cowgirl and space ranger, an odd pair."

"Eh, it makes more sense when you know them better." Mr. Potato Head waved a dismissing hand. "And that's coming from me."

"Only interested in your own love life, are you?" Pizza Man asked.

Mr. Potato Head nodded. "Guilty as charge. My wife is a better love expert. She has an eye for this stuff, right honey?"

She didn't answer, and Mr. Potato Head looked towards his wife. Mrs. Potato Head eyed Queen Martian very suspiciously, who was looking around the Potato Heads rather than right at them. She looked left and right as though she was looking for something.

The same unsettling feeling bubbled inside Mrs. Potato Head, again. She didn't like it. Mrs. Potato Head gave a stern look to Queen Martian. "Is there a problem?"

Queen Martian stopped looking around, and looked at Mrs. Potato Head. She noticed her firm stare, and glared back. "As a matter of fact, I-"

"Listen, this was great." Pizza Man interrupted, now talking to everyone. "we've gotta go, but maybe we'll see you all soon?"

"Why don't y'all come back tomorrow? Bonnie will be at daycare." Jessie said.

"Yeah, we can help you guys if you're looking for a place to go." Woody said.

Pizza Man nodded. "I won't disagree to that." Many of the toys nodded along friendly-like, suspecting nothing.

The toys led them back to the window. "Ever heard of Sunnyside? We have friends there who can..."

Behind the group of toys Mr. Potato Head stood at the end. "Something's not right about those pizza freaks." Mr. Potato Head said to his wife. She didn't respond. The spud turned around to realize she wasn't there anymore, and that she had walked over to the closet and had began to shift it open. Mr. Potato Head walked over, as his wife stared inside. Her back was turned, so he didn't know what to suspect.

Mr. Potato Head looked inside the closet at his three boys. They shook in fear underneath a fallen towel, their eyes full of something neither of the Potato Heads have ever seen in their lifetime. Mrs. Potato Head looked at her husband with a perplexed look, as he reflected practically the same thing.

Something wrong had washed over the threshold of the room, and they were the only ones who've noticed.

 **To be continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. Potato Head tossed an orange pin pon ball across the room. One of his aliens, Champ, eyed the ball that flew in the air. As soon as it came closer to him, he gave it a large head nudge that sent it flying into a lone pencil holder they've set up on the floor of Bonnie's room.

"That's my boy, Champ!" Mr. Potato Head yelled across the room, as the alien retrieved the ball from the pencil holder. Brainy, the second alien, sat near by, scrolling through a book of children's geometry.

"Oooooh." Brainy awed at, looking at a page on the circumference of a circle. Champ dropped the pin pon ball for a second, before going over to look at the book as well. Mr. Potato Head looked at his two boys, proudly.

His third alien, Squirt, stood behind him. He watched from behind. Seeing his two brothers read made him think he'd better do the same thing. He always wanted to be doing the cool stuff they were, and they would let him of course.

Squirt jumped his way past Mr. Potato Head on his way over to his brothers. Well, he did until he tripped on the pin pon ball that stood on the floor. He landed on his stomach at Hamm's hooves, who was passing by. The pig looked down at him in surprise, while Squirt looked back, his eyes a little bigger.

Mr. Potato Head saw the scene before him, and walked over.

"Uh, Squirt?" The spud said, as his alien son got back on his feet. "Why don't you, um...go find your mother?"

The alien looked back at his father in his usual manner, with a hint of disappointment. "She is off with the button master."

Mr. Potato Head looked at Hamm for answers. "Button master?"

"Dolly." Hamm cleared up. Mr. Potato Head nodded.

"Then why don't you-" he looked down, but his son wasn't there anymore. He looked to his right and saw as Squirt walked off a little slower, his antenna drooping slightly. Mr. Potato Head let out a bit of a sigh, small enough to go unnoticed.

Squirt walked away, looking over his shoulder at his two brothers that were engaged in the book. It's been like that since day one, so he wasn't surprised. He always knew there was something a that differed him a bit from his brothers. And he was able to accept that.

But, would his dad?

Squirt stopped when he heard thumping at the window. He looked up realizing that he walked himself over there, and stared in shock. Pizza Man and Queen Martian had returned for the day, while the owners of the house were off. Squirt locked eyes with Queen Martian for a second. Those chilling orbs that stared at him, that he had hoped he would never see again after they were rescued by Mr. Potato Head. Her eyes practically read right through him, sensing his fear like a hungry animal.

"Woody, they're back!" Jessie called, noticing that their visitors had returned. "Good eye, little critter!" She spoke to Squirt.

Squirt finally snapped out of it it, and went running. He zoomed off to his brothers that sat in the corner, squirming his way through the toys that were on their way to greet Queen Martian and Pizza Man.

As soon as Squirt came to a screeching stop, his brothers looked up.

"They've returned, brothers!" Squirt said. "To the mystic portal of darkness!"

All three began to run in their trio, heading straight to the closet. Like yesterday, they through themselves into the closet, closing the door behind them. They crawled into the darkness underneath Bonnie's beach towel, all snug. They huddled together, fearfully.

As soon as someone opened the closet, they shut their eyes in terror. They slowly opened them, to see Mr. Potato Head standing there. The spud looked at them, angrily and suspiciously.

"What is wrong with you three?" Mr. Potato Head spat. His tone frightened the kids, almost persuading them to burst out with the truth. The aliens huddled together even closer, not saying anything.

Mr. Potato Head rolled his eyes. "Do I need to get your mom to ask?"

That got it, the aliens all perked up in worry.

"Noooo." They all said.

"Then spill it."

The LGMs all exchanged looks of worry. They were stuck. After years and years of putting this behind them, it finally came back to bite them in the butt. They all looked back at their father, who impatiently waited for an answer.

Squirt was the first to speak. "The Queen of Martians is-"

"SH!" Both of his brothers, Champ and Brainy, covered his mouth. Mr. Potato Head widened his eyes just a bit, the LGMs little green bodies filling with worry.

"How do you know her name? You three hid the whole time they were..."

Mr. Potato Head drifted off, stopping himself. He looked at his sons' three, terrified expressions. It was impossible to see such joyful little creatures as such to look so afraid. But, a fuzzy truth dawned upon Mr. Potato Head.

The male spud leaned forward. "Do you know them?" He asked really carefully.

It felt like a long minute until the LGMs slowly nodded. Champ was then the one who spoke up.

"You mustn't tell mommy..." as he continued to explain.

* * *

Dolly and Mrs. Potato Head strolled back to Bonnie's room from the kitchen in the empty house.

"I'm glad those dinosaurs finally gave us a chance to use the computer." Dolly said, reffering to Rex and Trixie. "It's not everyday we get to read up on celebrity gossip."

Mrs. Potato Head let out a chuckle. "Certainly not with them clogging their minds with those games."

Dolly laughed in returned, while Mrs. Potato Head merely smiled. The rag doll slowed down their pace a bit, noticing something a little off with her friend.

"Something troubling ya?" Dolly asked casually to the spud. Mrs. Potato Head looked back at her friend.

"No, nothing at all." Mrs. Potato Head answered. Dolly arched an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, don't play that card with me." The doll continued. "Come on, what's up?"

"Nothing." Mrs. Potato Head said, a little testier this time.

Dolly pursed her fabricated lips in question. "What if I try guessing?"

Mrs. Potato Head shook her head. "Go right ahead."

"Is it something someone said?"

"No."

"Scuffed up your heels?"

"No."

"Lost your purse?"

"No..."

"Lost an earring?"

"Both my ears are in, Dolly."

"Is it your husband, kids maybe?"

"Yes."

Dolly stopped walking, and Mrs. Potato Head unwillingly did as well. She turned to look at her friend, not wanting to get into conversation right now.

"Did something happen? Did you get into a fight?"

"No, no." Mrs. Potato Head responded. "It's just past problems I'm bringing onto myself. It's my own thought and doing."

"Okay, but why?"

"Just from naming our boys, I suppose."

"I thought you were happy about that."

"Oh Dolly, I'm beyond happy." Mrs. Potato Head clarified. "It's just naming them finally is bringing up some stuff I wish to forget."

"Does this have to do with your husband, too?"

Dolly noticed as Mrs. Potato Head tried to hide her wiping her eye. It dawned upon the rag doll, and she gave her friend a sincere look.

"Hey," Dolly spoke softly. "He loves them, there's nothing to be worried about."

Mrs. Potato Head sighed. "I'm not worried about any of that." Her voice was shaky. "That's why we made the deal in the first place."

"What deal?"

Mrs. Potato Head turned to look at her friend directly, trying to pull herself together. "Years ago, when the boys came along, I saw them for who they truly were. Sweet, beautiful inside and out, but also lost."

Dolly tilted her head a bit, trying to better understand. Mrs. Potato Head tried to clear it up.

"Whatever kind of life they lived before they came to Andy's room, I was able to see it. My husband may have not, but I did. And when I met them, I knew I had to give them a better life. It's like they were sent to me to do so."

"This deal, though." Dolly asked. "What was it?"

Mrs. Potato Head let out another sigh. "You know that my husband wasn't ready to raise kids at the beginning. And although it may seem like it was because he was mostly annoyed, that was barely part of it."

"What was it?"

"The extremity of having kids really scared him. He didn't think he was good enough to do it." The female spud explained. "He wouldn't admit it to anyone, except to me of course."

Dolly nodded, putting the pieces together. She always knew there was a bit of fear somewhere deep down in that grumpy old spud.

"So, we sat down and a made a deal. I would foster those kids, myself. And when he was ready to decide exactly how he wanted to be involved, he would say so."

Mrs. Potato Head looked at Dolly. "And, we still had wonderful years of marriage. Which only proves how big our love really is. And now he does want to be a part of it, it just took time. And I saw him adjust to it over our years at Andy's house. He may have not been an official part over the years, but before he was I could tell he was on his way."

Dolly smiled, but a hint of confusion still crossed her face. She bit her lip before speaking again.

"But, why is this bothering you if it's all fallen into place?"

Mrs. Potato Head felt a chill pass over her, and she crossed her arms. The feeling was no different from yesterday's.

"Dolly," The female spud said. "Did you notice anything weird about those Pizza Planet toys?

Dolly pondered over it for a second. "I guess they were kind of an odd duo, but nothing explicit. Why?"

The spud shrugged her shoulders. "Call it a mother's instinct if you have to," Mrs. Potato Head continued. "But, something about that...Queen Martian really bothered me."

"What does this have to do with your aliens?" Dolly asked.

"I don't know, but I suddenly feel the urge to keep them safe."

The rag doll came over and put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. She slowly led them back into a walk. "I think that whatever this is you're feeling, can only be helped if you talk to your husband. Sometimes we just need a person we truly love to help figure it out."

Mrs. Potato Head was about to thank Dolly, before they both stopped in shock in the doorway of Bonnie's bedroom. They looked towards the centre, and all the toys were gathered around something. There was intense yelling going on.

Mrs. Potato Head recognized her husband's angry voice, anywhere.

Dolly and the spud quickly ran to the middle, and squirmed their way through the crowd. Some made room for them, noticing their arrival. When they got to the front, they saw the whole thing.

Mr. Potato Head and Queen Martian were stuck in a heated argument. Woody stood by, who clearly had try to stop it but had no luck. He looked on, worried.

"What is going on!?" Mrs. Potato Head had to yell over the angry, babbling voices. Both stopped and looked towards Mrs. Potato Head. Mr. Potato Head looked like he was in a state of shock for a second, having not wanting his wife to have seen this.

Queen Martian's face was pinned with anger, but soon washed away with a spiteful look at the sight of Mrs. Potato Head. Her look was so chilling, Mrs. Potato Head practically felt herself freeze in place.

"What happened?" Mrs. Potato Head asked again, before the Queen Martian could say anything that would further disturb her.

Mr. Potato Head pointed a sharp, aggressive finger at the alien. "Honey, our kids know these freaks."

Mrs. Potato Head looked at her husband, questionably. "Know them?"

"Noooo." The familiar unison saying came from behind them. The LGMs quickly ran over, after hiding for so long. They came and hid behind their mom, to be shielded from the Martian Queen, but still be able to eye their father.

"You promised." Squirt spoke in a small voice, clutching onto his mom's arm. Mr. Potato Head watched the grief grow in little Squirt's eyes.

Mrs. Potato Head looked from her son to her husband. "Promised what?"

Mr. Potato Head didn't know what to do. A rare instance for someone like him and his big-mouth ways. He looked at his son, who's eyes were begging for him not to tell. And he knew why, it would break his wife's heart. But, looking at his wife, her eyes begged him to tell the truth. Maybe something worse would happen if she didn't know.

"No, guys come on." Woody said, stepping in finally. "I'm sure this is a huge misunderstanding."

"Is it, cowboy?" Queen Martian spat. She looked back at Mrs. Potato Head. "So, the truth finally comes out."

Mrs. Potato Head shielded her boys behind her. "What truth?" She asked, a little more aggressively.

"Must by nice." Queen Martian said, crossing her arms. "Having something, when it doesn't belong to you."

The toys all exchanged looks, but were all thinking the same thing. These Pizza Planet toys showing up clearly wasn't an accident.

Queen Martian took a step closer to Mrs. Potato Head. The female spud felt Squirt grip onto her wrist with his little green hands a little tighter.

"They belong to me." Queen Martian hissed in a low voice. "I don't care if your husband thinks he's some kind of hero for keeping them from going flying out of a car window."

Mr. Potato Head watched from behind, his eyes growing wide at the mother alien's confession. "How do you know that?"

"Oh for Pete's sake." Pizza Man finally spoke up. "We were there!"

Buzz stepped forward. "You were there? Ten years ago?"

Pizza Man looked at the space ranger. "We belonged to that Pizza Planet truck you stole and raced to the airport to save your cowboy friend. The whole thing was watched from the trunk. We've been there forever, that's the truck that delivered to your folks, yesterday."

Queen Martian whipped her head back around at the aliens that stood behind Mrs. Potato Head. "And now we're here to take back what's mine."

Mrs. Potato Head's eyes widened in fear at the approaching alien, continuing to keep her kids behind her. Many of the toys closed in on Mrs. Potato Head and the aliens, trying to protect them from Queen Martian's upcoming grasp.

"Now hold on just a hot second!" Mr. Potato Head stepped on the mother alien's flowing cape, to prevent her from taking another step forward towards his wife and kids. She turned back to look at him.

"You evil little kidnapper." Queen Martian pointed an accusing finger at the spud. "Don't presume to stop me, after you took my aliens!"

"Who're ya calling kidnapper?" Mr. Potato Head snapped. "Use your three eyes, those boys followed me home! And I'm sure for good reason, because you don't seem like an ideal roommate!"

"Ha." Queen Martian scoffed. "Roommate. Is that what you assume I was? I happen to be those three aliens' rightful mother." She pointed to them, behind her.

Mrs. Potato Head felt herself shatter, and lose feeling in her hands. So much, she barely even noticed as Dolly and Slinky proceeded to take the LGMs away from her and shield them from everything that was happening.

Queen Martian gave Mrs. Potato Head an icy, bone-chilling glare. "You must think you're so perfect. The number one mom. Never expected to be a participant in a crime, did you? They belonged to me first. I know where they came from, where they belonged. And I'm here to take them away from all you clowns."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Chuckles took to offence. Many of the toys pulled him behind, to avoid more trouble.

Queen Martian walked closer to Mrs. Potato Head, looking down at her. "Perfect marriage, perfect little wife. And three little kids who don't even belong to you."

Mrs. Potato Head felt herself regain feeling, suddenly becoming furious. She began to eye the alien with utter anger, clenching her fist. The rest of the toys looked on, nervously.

Queen Martian leaned down to get a better look at Mrs. Potato Head. "You're nothing but a pretty little housewife."

Mrs. Potato Head lost her hearing for a second, she barely heard the gasps of all her friends around her. That did it. Those very few words uttered was way more of a deeper insult than anyone knew, except for her and maybe her husband.

It took no more than two seconds for Mrs. Potato Head to slap Queen Martian across the face. She fumbled back, but immediately lunged forward for Mrs. Potato Head.

"Whoa! Whoa! WHOA!" Woody yelled. All the toys presumed to run towards the two in panic, holding both of them back from each other. Queen Martian tried to reach for Mrs. Potato Head, being held back by Pizza Man, Woody, and Buzz. The rest of the toys held Mrs. Potato Head back, including her husband.

Mr. Potato Head managed to grab hold of his wife's wrists, prompting for her to look at him and stop. "Honey, honey, stop!" She looked at him, fire in her eyes. While Mr. Potato Head would watch his wife mouth off at toys in certain situations, like she had with Lotso not too long ago, being physical like this wasn't her. A part of him hated to see his wife behave like he would. He didn't want the person he loved the most to succumb to something he was. He couldn't bare that thought.

Mr. Potato Head looked on angrily at Queen Martian while holding his wife. Queen Martian had also calmed down and now stood with Pizza Man alone. It was a good thing the mother alien hadn't gotten to Mrs. Potato Head in time. If she had, who knows how Mr. Potato Head would've reacted had someone hurt his wife.

Woody and Buzz came and stood with the rest of the toys. The sudden division of the room of Bonnie's toys and the two Pizza Planet toys standing alone showed the new rivalry that had been made. This was no longer an innocent thing.

"All I know." Woody said, adjusting his hat and looking on sternly. "Is that this family sticks together. And as far as I'm concerned, _real_ family doesn't choose to leave others behind."

Queen Martian shot another glare. "What exactly are you insinuating, sheriff?" She spat the last word.

Buzz stepped forward, also staring harshly. "I think these aliens know home when they find it, and with whom. Thanks."

Mrs. Potato Head felt Mr. Potato Head squeeze her arms. Unfortunately, she didn't feel any comfort whatsoever. All she wanted to do was fade away.

"I think you should go." Woody said, crossing his arms.

Queen Martian looked at the cowboy, chillingly. "Don't think we're leaving for good. I'll be back for what is rightfully mine." She turned her gaze to Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. "And you two, you better hope you're not in the way when I get my aliens back. I've got more power than any of you realize."

It felt like time had skipped, because Queen Martian quickly made herself over to the window, with Pizza Man scurrying behind. They left Bonnie's toys to boil in the aftermath of the intense scene they just took a part of.

Mrs. Potato Head remained in the middle of the toys that had gathered to protect her, her husband still holding onto her wrists from when she had tried to make her way through to the mother alien in their brawl.

A chill passed over Mrs. Potato Head, and she shivered.

"Look at you, you're shaking." Dolly tried comforting Mrs. Potato Head. "Maybe you should lay down..."

Mrs. Potato Head then snapped her wrists away from her husband, and pushed her way out of the crowd. She quickly went straight under the bed, wanting no comfort from anyone. However, Mr. Potato Head followed her behind.

The LGMs watched as their parents disappeared to under the bed. They were tempted to follow, but didn't. Somewhere deep down in their little green bodies, they knew that their parents needed to have a long talk before anything else was decided.

* * *

Bonnie slept silently in her bed that night, but the room itself was filled with tension. Of course, the toys' owner wouldn't be able to sense it. The joyful playtime they had that afternoon when Bonnie returned from daycare kept their minds off of it for a while, but not entirely.

Mrs. Potato Head lifted the bed skirt from under the bed, to get a glimpse at the moon that shined through the window.

"What do you mean we can't just get rid of them?" Mr. Potato Head whisper-shouted at Woody, to not wake Bonnie. The Potato Heads, Woody, Jessie, and Buzz had gathered under the bed that night to discuss the day's trauma of events.

Mrs. Potato Head put the bed skirt down and walked back over to the centre.

"Potato Head, it's not like we can sentence them to some sort of banishment." Woody said, turning on a small flashlight under the bed. Mrs. Potato Head massaged the palm of her hand. It was still tense from when she slapped Queen Martian across the face.

"Those freaks are after our kids." Mr. Potato Head said, pointing to the outside world. "Do you expect us to just sit and do nothing?"

"We need to think before going on ahead." Buzz said, putting up two defensive hands. "But whatever we do, we can't sink to their level."

Mrs. Potato Head felt Buzz take a quick glance on her. She still rubbed her palm, but didn't look back.

Mr. Potato Head let out a puff of air in mockery. He looked towards Jessie, unimpressed. "I'm guessing you're thinking the same thing, eh cowgirl?" He spat.

Jessie rolled her eyes. "Potato Head, I know it seems like an easy game, but we don't know what those two varmints are up to!" She irritably said, a little too loudly.

"SH!" The other four said. They waited for any movement from Bonnie, but the girl was a deep sleeper. Jessie looked back at Potato Head.

"What would you want us to do, anyway?" The cowgirl said, crossing her arms.

"I don't know, shiv 'em, dispose of 'em, ship them off to Paris, anything!" Potato Head said, angrily.

"Quiet!" Woody whisper-shouted. "You really wanna wake up Bonnie? We've already got enough to worry about! Buzz is right, we're not going to sink to their level."

"May I remind you sheriff, what happened the last time you did 'the good thing' for an enemy?" Mr. Potato Head hissed. The cowboy tensed up.

"Don't you dare go there." The sheriff pointed a finger in warning.

"No, I'm gonna." Mr. Potato Head said. "Saving Lotso from the shredder in the dump seemed like the real heroic thing to do, eh? My elbow it was!"

Mrs. Potato Head crossed her arms uncomfortably. She had barely said a thing the whole time, because she didn't know who to agree with at this moment.

"And then look what happened." Mr. Potato Head continued. "He left us all to die in a fiery incinerator, because you chose to help him again. And how were we saved? Because of my boys."

Jessie was about to have another outburst on Mr. Potato Head, but Woody put a halting arm in front of her. He took a step froward, and gave Mr. Potato Head a bitter look. Though Mr. Potato Head continued to give an angry look back, Mrs. Potato Head looked at the cowboy with worry. It was so unlike him to look that bitter.

"You know what, Potato Head?" Woody said. "The way you sound right now, is really familiar."

Mr. Potato Head arched an eyebrow, while Buzz and Jessie exchanged a worried look.

"Like the time you accused me of murder." Woody said through gritted teeth. Mr. Potato Head looked on at him in anger and shock. Mrs. Potato Head put her hand to her face, distraught. She knows the story. They just hated to address it, because Mr. Potato Head has changed so much since then.

"Woody, don't." Jessie said, who also knew the story. She put a hand on his shoulder, and he shrugged it away.

"No, Jess." Woody said. "Potato Head here thinks I'm in the wrong. Coming from the toy who once blamed me for murdering Buzz."

"You know as well as I do, I'm a different spud." Mr. Potato Head tried saying aggressively, though his voice had a hint of defence in it.

"Then you tell me, what's better?" Woody said. "Saving an enemy from a death no one deserves, or blaming one of your own friends for murder?"

"I was doing the right for the room! We thought you had done it on purpose!" Mr. Potato Head said, standing by his word though he's apologized in the past.

"And you don't think saving a stuffed bear from being shredded to death is right?" Woody snapped back.

"Not if he's going to leave us to die in a fire! You trusted him, just like you trusted those Pizza Planet toys!" Mr. Potato Head said.

"It's not like I knew any of this would happen!" Woody said.

"Stop, please." Mrs. Potato Head finally spoke up. Her voice was incredibly trembly, and it caused all four of them to look at her. Woody and Mr. Potato Head's faces were no longer washed with anger, and now soft.

Mrs. Potato Head looked at them, her eyes glossy. "It's always one more thing than it already is, isn't it?"

Mr. Potato Head watched as she continued to massage her own palm. "Honey?"

"I hate this situation as much as anyone does. Maybe even a little bit more." Mrs. Potato Head said. "But unlike you two, I'm not pointing any fingers for completely different situations that aren't even a part of now."

Jessie took a step closer to Mrs. Potato Head. "Mrs. P..."

"I don't need your sympathy, Jessie, I'm sorry." Mrs. Potato Head said. "Because my husband clearly can't handle a situation without blaming someone."

Mr. Potato Head slumped his shoulders in guiltiness. "I-I'm not, I wouldn't-"

"Oh, please. When have you not?" Mrs. Potato Head said. She turned her gaze to Woody. "And Woody, I needed a leader the most. Because even being a mother, I sometimes need to turn to authority."

Woody felt sympathy towards Mrs. Potato Head, though she asked for none of it. He's always recognized how she can really be a bigger person than her husband.

"Toys like us depend on toys like you." Mrs. Potato Head said. "But I can't do that when you remind us of something my husband did in a very dark time, that he's clearly grown from incredibly. And for what? To prove a point?"

"Mrs. Potato Head, I assure you, I'm not gonna rest until we figure this out, okay? You're family." Woody said, calmly.

Mrs. Potato Head looked down at her tense palm. She had never slapped someone her whole life, because she was convinced she was not that kind of toy. She would never be. But when it came to all of a sudden protecting her kids, maybe she was.

"I know." Mrs. Potato Head said. "But, it's not like any of you were confronted like I was."

A slash of worry crossed Mr. Potato Head's eyes. "Honey, you don't believe what that stupid queen alien actually said, do you?"

Mrs. Potato Head looked at her husband with an angry look, causing him to back away a bit in fear. "Of course not." She spat with a harsh tone. "I don't think that little of myself. But, it still hurt."

Mrs. Potato Head walked back to the bed skirt and lifted it up, she turned to look at the rest of them. "I'm going to think of a way to protect my kids. And when you're ready to talk about it in a civil manner, I'll be there."

She walked out without another word, leaving the four toys to brew in thought. Though Mrs. Potato Head had put on a strong face, she was clearly crushed. The aliens begged Mr. Potato Head to not tell her, because it would break her heart, which it has. She seemed beyond grieved, and it was killing her husband. Mr. Potato Head then shook his head and stood up, mannerly. He turned to look at Woody, who eyed his sudden change in behaviour.

"If you're ready to do this right sheriff, so am I." Mr. Potato Head said. "Because my kids aren't the only ones that need protection."

Mr. Potato Head turned to look back at where his wife left. "I need to protect her, too..."

 **To be continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

Queen Martian and Pizza Man stood behind a bulky red tool box in the garage of the house. They peeked over and watched as the garage door opened up, and Mrs. Anderson backed her car out, with Bonnie sitting in the back seat. The garage door closed, giving them the last glimpse of their car taking off for the day.

Queen Martian came out from behind the toolbox. "They're gone, the house is empty."

Pizza Man came out, as well. "Are you sure? What about the father?"

Queen Martian walked over to a sheet covering something on the dusty ground of the garage. She yanked it off, revealing a closed pot and lid on top of a miniature camping stove.

"Nonsense, pet." She said, turning the mini stove on. "The father leaves an hour before the wife and little girl. We've got the rest of the day to plan."

Pizza Man watched as Queen Martian pushed a stack of construction manuals up near the pot on the camping stove. She walked up it as though it was a latter, and pushed the lid of the pot off, steam coming out rapidly.

"What exactly is this plan?" Pizza Man asked, crossing his arms. Queen Martian reached for a metal rod nearby as a stirring stick.

"Why, the most excellent, and brilliant thing to come to mind." She gloated.

"Never mind, I already know I don't wanna hear this."

Queen Martian chuckled evilly, as she stirred the grey substance that remained in the pot.

"Perfect, it's still hot and gooey." She said, stirring around the substance. She played with the boiling, melted wax that remained inside. "You know what kind of wax this is, my pet?"

"You know, I'm really starting to get tired of that nickname." Pizza Man said. Queen Martian shot him a look of warning, and he rolled his eyes. "Oh, please tell me what kind of wax..."

"Well, I'm not aware of the name." Queen Martian said, as Pizza Man shook his head. "But according to those boxed candles we found, it's perfect." She smiled, evilly.

"Why? What does it do?"

Queen Martian gave the boiling wax a good stir. "This kind of wax immediately dries as soon as it's exposed to oxygen. That's why we have to keep the lid on when it's not on the...what did you call it? Camping stove."

"And what exactly do you plan on using it for, your majesty?" Pizza Man asked, kind of freaked out.

She scoffed a laugh. "On that evil little kidnapper. And anyone who gets in the way of course."

Pizza Man's eyes widened, as his mouth opened in shock. "You're gonna dump that stuff all over Potato Head? Are you crazy?"

"No, and why shouldn't I?"

"For Pete's sake, can't we just grab the aliens and make a run for it?"

"There is a whole army of toys in there!" Queen Martian yelled, pointing in the direction of the rest of the house. "This wax is all we need. It'll be used as distraction, and a way to pay that loud-mouth spud head a lesson."

She took the rod out of the pot, and pushed the lid all the way back on. The mother alien looked towards Pizza Man. "And I know exactly how we're gonna do it."

Pizza Man eyed Queen Martian, weirdly. "Who messed you up to be like this?"

She jumped down, "hush!" She yelled. "We're going to lure that spud and his gang away from that room, so I can dump the wax on him. While this happens, you're gonna make a break in and swipe the kids."

"What if the aliens follow him?"

"You saw what happened, yesterday!" Queen Martian said. "You really think he'd let them near me? No, they'll be left in the room we're they're safe and sound, and you'll go get them."

"It's a dead end plan, queenie." Pizza Man ridiculed. "I can't get in. The only way in is through the window, which is locked from the inside."

"What do you think I was doing last night while you were melting the wax?" Queen Martian spat. "I went searching for another way in. The people here have a canine door at their front entrance."

"It's called a doggy door..."

"You make your way in, and then it's up to you to find the room and swipe them."

"Okay, let me ask you one more question, your highness." Pizza Man hissed. "How exactly do you plan to 'lure' Potato Head and maybe some of the others away?"

Queen Martian chuckled evilly, while looking at her fellow toy. "That's where our bait comes in."

"Bait?"

"Who's the one other toy that spud seems to love the most?" She spoke, bitterly. "That Mrs. Potato Head."

Pizza Man uncrossed his arms, all of a sudden more shocked. "His...his wife?"

"Once that spud learns we've got his perfect little sweet potato, he'll come running." Queen Martian laughed. "I can already see it. We'll have her practically dangling in my grasp, and the next thing her husband knows, he's covered in hot wax. Covering all over his body, unable to move. Trapped, and hopefully unawakened."

Pizza Man all of a sudden couldn't believe what he was hearing. He thought about the situation he was in and realized exactly how surreal it was. "Kidnap her, and use her? What...what if she-"

"Oh, relax my pet." Queen Martian said. "I'm not going to kill your little love crush."

"I don't have a crush on her..."

"Ha." Queen Martian said. "Just remember why we are here. Don't let a pretty face like her's distract you from anything."

Pizza Man didn't feel annoyed, anymore. He suddenly felt nervous. "You're...we're not going to hurt her, right?"

"Only a bit." Queen Martian said, turning up the heat on the camping stove. "Just enough to kidnap her when she's alone."

Pizza Man crossed his white, muscular arms again. "When exactly is this plan activated?"

"Not quite yet." Queen Martian said. "Give them time to be suspenseful for our arrival. They won't even notice when we swipe Mrs. Potato Head. Which is our first step of the plan."

* * *

Mrs. Potato Head watched as Totoro tended to her children across the room. Though she was worried for her boys' safety, having them distracted and feeling safe helped her relax. And knowing Totoro, they were safe with him, as long as they remained in the room.

"You're not mad at your husband, are you?" Trixie asked Mrs. Potato Head, as her and Dolly approached. Mrs. Potato Head turned to look at the two girls.

"Oh, no." She assured them. "No, no. I'm not mad at all. Yesterday just brought...a lot out of me."

Dolly tilted her head. "But, you're feeling alright?"

"I'm still worried." Mrs. Potato Head said, undoubtedly. "But, I'm less pained than yesterday. I know we'll figure this out."

Dolly then peered over Mrs. Potato Head's shoulder, and gave a playful smile. "I think you have an audience."

Mrs. Potato Head turned around to see what the rag doll was talking about, and saw Mr. Potato Head across the room with Hamm and Slinky. Her husband murmured a few things to the two others, while still watching his wife with these concerned eyes.

"I don't think he's trying to be flirty, Dolly..." Mrs. Potato Head said. "But, thanks for letting me know."

Mrs. Potato Head began to make her way over to her husband. She watched as Hamm nudged Mr. Potato Head, prompting him to go to her as well. He did so, and the married couple met in the middle.

"The kids are okay, if that's why you were murmuring." Mrs. Potato Head said to her husband.

The male spud scratched the back of his head. "Actually," Mr. Potato Head said. "I came to check on you."

Mrs. Potato Head already knew this was a conversation she wanted to avoid. She broke her gaze, and played with her ear part.

Mr. Potato Head crossed his arms. "So...are you, okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Mr. Potato Head rolled his eyes. "Honey, I know you better than that. Slapping a toy across the face isn't exactly a norm for you."

Mrs. Potato Head looked up at her husband, suddenly with a stern expression. "It is when she calls me a pretty little housewife."

"I thought you said that didn't bother you."

"Sweetie, grow up." Mrs. Potato Head spat, putting her hands on her hips. "Of course it bothered me. I just didn't want to make this situation about me!"

"But, it is about you!"

"Excuse me?"

Mr. Potato Head sighed. "Well, it certainly involves you more than me. She's trying to take are kids and replace as you as a mother. I wanna protect you, too. There's no dad in this situation."

"What about Pizza Man?"

"Oh please, he's not a dad." Mr. Potato Head ridiculed. "He's a henchman. You can tell he hates all of this. Well, except for when he gets the chance to stare at you."

Though they were both conflicted, Mrs. Potato Head all of a sudden saw a slight change in emotion in her husband at the mention of Pizza Man.

Mrs. Potato Head gave him a playful smirk. "Well, well. Aren't you a little jealous?"

"Pffft." Mr. Potato Head said, though he clearly was. "Of what? His goofy looks at you? Or his bulging white muscles? HA!"

Mrs. Potato Head arched an eyebrow, as Mr. Potato Head scratched the back of his head, again. His wife shook her head and put her hands on his shoulders. In response, he put his arms around her waist.

"We've been married for a decade." Mrs. Potato Head reminded. "I think it's safe to say you've got the girl."

Mr. Potato Head smiled, but tried to stay focus on subject. "This...housewife comment, though." He continued. "You know you're not one, right?"

Mrs. Potato Head sighed in her husband's arms. "I logically know I'm not. It's just hard to shake the feeling when certain things of the past remind me of it?"

"Like?"

Mrs. Potato Head's eyes told her husband she didn't want to clarify. But, his absolute unawareness as to how she could possibly be a housewife made her feel happy. It showed that that's not how he thought of her, at all. And that's all she needed.

"Well, Woody's kidnap?" Mrs. Potato Head used an example. "When the toy collector took him, years ago?"

"Yeah?"

Mrs. Potato Head pursed her lips in frustration. "I could've helped. I could've come with the rescue team."

"Well," Mr. Potato Head quickly looked around to make sure Woody wasn't nearby. He spoke in a low voice. "Bo Peep stayed in the room too, remember?"

"She was made of porcelain." Mrs. Potato Head also spoke in a low voice, knowing of the cowboy's heartache and didn't want him to hear if he was nearby. "But, we're both made of the same plastic. I'm just as capable as you are."

"I know, I know you are." Mr. Potato Head tried to assure, carefully. "That was also not too long after we got married, so I think I was just blinded with an even stronger need of protecting you, than I do now. Also, the room needed you while we were gone."

"I suppose." Mrs. Potato Head said. "I mean, look at what we've been through. Sunnyside, Andy growing up, being given to Bonnie, me raising the boys by myself for the first few years-"

Mrs. Potato Head shut her mouth at the last point. She saw her husband listen willingly at every point, until she reminded him how she raised the LGMs for the first few years by herself. He bit his lip, and broke eye contact for a brief second.

"Darling, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"No, you're right." Mr. Potato Head assured. "I mean, you did. You've worked harder as a parent than I have, and probably ever could."

Mrs. Potato Head opened her mouth to say something, but her husband pulled her closer and stopped her. "And that my dear, is why you aren't housewife. You're a mom, and there's a big difference."

Mrs. Potato Head nodded. Her husband was right. Who was she, listening to Queen Martian? That alien didn't know what she was talking about. Her husband knows her better than anybody. And despite his dismissal of most toys, he was never as such on his wife.

Mrs. Potato Head relaxed in her husband's embrace. "You've come such a long way with the boys. I'm so proud of you."

Mr. Potato Head smiled warmly, and gently raised his wife's hand to his lips. His kissed her hand lovingly, Mrs. Potato Head giggling at his affection. For a brief second, she forgot about the situation they were in, and just enjoyed her romantic time with her husband.

The spud stopped kissing his wife's hand, and looked at her with a sparkle in his eyes. His wife was so beautiful, and he just felt like the luckiest potato in the world.

"I'm not going to let them take the boys way." Mr. Potato Head promised.

"Neither am I." Mrs. Potato Head said, leaning in for a kiss. They smooched like the love doves they were, Mrs. Potato Head getting butterflies from the way her husband kissed her and held her close against him.

As they continued to kiss, Mrs. Potato Head hooked her finger onto her husband's moustache to remove it. She popped it off, and they deepened the kiss.

"Come on, guys. There's tykes around here." Buzz said. The Potato Heads pulled away, and looked at the approaching space ranger, and Jessie. Mr. Potato Head rolled his eyes.

"Can't a spud kiss his wife around here?" Mr. Potato Head said, putting his moustache back on.

"Maybe a peck, y'all are like wild critters." Jessie said, reffering to their kissing. If it was possible, Mrs. Potato Head would've blushed.

"Where's your cowboy?" Mr. Potato Head asked, bitterly.

Jessie and Buzz both exchanged a look. "With Slinky." Buzz said. "But, we were gonna ask if you could go see him."

"Why?"

"So you can apologize for what you said last night." Jessie said, crossing her arms.

Mrs. Potato Head looked back at her husband. "You haven't apologized, yet?"

"Why should I? He was just as offensive to me, as I was." Mr. Potato Head said.

"Okay, but you should make the first move." Jessie said. "You _did_ start it."

Mr. Potato Head groaned, but looked at his wife who was pleading for him to do so. The sunlight that peered into the room gave her a shine on her lips. If he could, he'd kiss his wife forever. He shook his head when he was staring too long.

"Okay. I'll go." Mr. Potato Head said. Jessie and Buzz began to lead Mr. Potato Head to where Woody was, but Mrs. Potato Head quickly pulled her husband aside. She gave a quick kiss on his cheek, and he smiled goofily.

"I'll see you later." Mrs. Potato Head said, before letting him go. He followed the cowgirl and space ranger, and Mrs. Potato Head watched her husband off, adoringly. She did, until she heard a squeak behind her.

Mrs. Potato Head turned to find one of her aliens, Squirt, standing there.

"Squirt? Are you alright, dear?" Mrs. Potato Head asked her son. Squirt looked at his mother with big eyes, before quickly rubbing his hand over them and bouncing away. He bounced towards the bedroom door, and Mrs. Potato Head felt herself sink.

"No, Squirt don't leave the room! It's dangerous!" Mrs. Potato Head called in fright, chasing after her son. Brainy and Champ watched as their mother chased after their brother, but didn't follow. They were gonna follow the rules, until that Queen Martian was gone for sure.

Mrs. Potato Head kept her son in eye shot, not wanting to lose him in the house. They may have been outside, but letting her kids out of the room right now is too risky.

"Squirt, honey, stop!" Mrs. Potato Head yelled, catching up to her son. "Right, now!"

Squirt stopped, and so did Mrs. Potato Head. She noticed that her son's posture was a little heavier, and his antenna was drooping a bit. The little alien turned around and looked at his mother with big, glossy eyes.

Mrs. Potato Head looked at Squirt, sincerely. "What's wrong, dear?"

Squirt rubbed one of his eyes. "Brothers are blaming me."

"For what?"

"A disgrace for tell the truth. For hurting you." Squirt said in a small voice. Mrs. Potato Head felt as though she would cry.

"Oh, my little darling." She said, "I'm not hurt. Mommy's very happy you told daddy the truth, okay? Come here." She motioned. Squirt hopped over to his mother's arms, relaxing in her warm hug.

Across the way, the rubber of the doggy door shifted. Two toys attempting to get in.

"Hm." Queen Martian said, as she hopped through the doggy door. She carried a metal rod. "What a terrible mode of entrance."

"It's meant for dogs." Pizza Man said, also climbing through. He carried a pile of shoe laces and an old rag. "Not for snooty queens who think they can get what they want."

Queen Martian shot a look towards the pizza toy. "How dare you-"

"SH!" Pizza Man said, pulling her behind one of the chairs in the kitchen. They both peered down the narrow hallway from the front entrance and the kitchen, seeing two familiar figures. Mrs. Potato Head hugged one of her aliens tightly.

"Perfect." Queen Martian smirked. "This is already going to plan."

"She's with one of the kids, you don't think he'll go gathering all the toys once we pop out and grab-"

"Look!" Queen Martian shut him up, pointing. Mrs. Potato Head prompted for her son to go back to the room, as she watched him hop off.

"Now's our chance." The mother alien said, readying her rod. "It's now, or never."

"Wait, no." Pizza Man said. "This is a bad idea, we can't do this to her."

Queen Martian gritted her rubber teeth at her henchman. "Stop trying to protect her, you fool! She's married, and it's not like she'd choose you, anyway."

Pizza Man felt something leave him, and all of a sudden felt really small. He looked to the ground, and then at the shoelaces and rag he held.

"Okay, fine..." Pizza Man said.

"Let's move." Queen Martian said, already bolting for Mrs. Potato Head. Pizza Man quickly followed behind. The closer they got, Queen Martian gingerly tip toed up to Mrs. Potato Head, before whacking her shoulder with the metal rod.

"AH!" Mrs. Potato Head clutched her shoulder in pain, while falling to the ground. She turned around while sitting, looking up at Queen Martian in horror. Before the female spud could cry for help, her mouth was covered with what seemed to be a dirty rag.

The next thing she knew, her hands were tied behind her back. While Queen Martian stood in front of her, Mrs. Potato Head looked up at Pizza Man who stood behind her back, staring at him with a terrified expression. He refused to look back, and continued to tighten the shoelaces on her wrists.

"A little welcome would've been nice." Queen Martian said, eyeing Mrs. Potato Head. The spud began to shake. "Now, don't look so afraid, dear. We're not going to kill you"

Queen Martian gave another swing at Mrs. Potato Head, knocking her to lay on her side. Her left ear went flying off, across the floor. She let out a muffled whimper through the rag that was tied and covering her mouth. Pizza Man began to tie her feet with shoelaces.

"It's simple, we need you." Queen Martian continued. "You're the shinning star of our plan. The bait. To get your husband away while we swipe the boys."

Mrs. Potato Head still remained lying down, but shook her head. _No, please._ Her eyes begged. She winced in pain from the impact of the two previous hits. Queen Martian kneeled on the floor, to get a better look at the female spud. Her eyes were glossy, filled with fear and sadness.

"What's the matter?" Queen Martian evilly teased. "Is mommy going to cry?"

Mrs. Potato Head shut her eyes, fighting so hard to not be afraid. But, she couldn't help it.

"Look at her, will you, pet?" Queen Martian said to Pizza Man. He still refused to look. "She's pathetic. Why would you like her the way you do?"

Pizza Man's eyes widened, finally having a reason to look. Mrs. Potato Head looked at him, too. Though she was destroyed with fear, shock and realization still peeked through her eyes at the reveal of his attraction.

"Bring her back to the garage." Queen Martian ordered. Pizza Man walked over, with his gaze on the floor. He picked up Mrs. Potato Head, who had tried screaming bloody murder, but came out as a light screech through the muffling of the rag. She wiggled in Pizza Man's arms, put he was too strong and she was tied up greatly. Queen Martian followed behind, chuckling evilly. They left through the doggy door.

The hallway of the house was silent, unmoving. As though nothing had took place, nothing had happened. It was motionless, until the faint squeaking of something else came back.

Squirt had returned, after going all the way back to Bonnie's room to realize his mother hadn't followed behind at all. He expected to find her, but the hallway was empty. There was no one there, as though she disappeared into thin air.

"Mommy?" Squirt's small voice echoed. Though a response was not likely, he hoped there would be one. Something unsettling bubbled inside the green alien. It was something familiar. Squirt took a sniff of the air around him. He took another sniff when he recognized something. It was nostalgia.

The three eyes of the alien widened in horror, while he noticed that the doggy door across the way was swinging as though someone had just left out of it. Within seconds, Squirt was hastily hopping down the hallway back to Bonnie's room.

"Daddyyy, help!" Squirt yelled as he hopped down the hallway.

* * *

"And..." Mr. Potato Head finished to Woody. "I promise never to do it, again."

Woody whipped his head back up, from almost falling sleep for what seemed like the longest apology in history. He adjusted his hat as though he was listening the whole time. He stood on the bed with Mr. Potato Head, along with Jessie, Buzz, and Slinky.

"Wow, um." Woody said. "Didn't know you had that long of an apology in you."

Mr. Potato Head rolled his eyes. "Yeah, don't get too comfortable, cowboy."

Woody stood up. "Well, uh, I'm sorry too. I never should've brought up what you've done in the past. You've clearly changed since then."

"Eh, I was messed up back then." Mr. Potato Head waved a dismissing hand. "It's nothing."

Woody nodded, and smiled. "Glad we could agree."

Slinky wagged his tail. "Now, what're y'all gonna do about this Pizza Planet problem-"

"DADDY!" Three alien voices spoke from bellow. The five toys on top of the bed looked down at the LGMs, and the rest of the toys who were already alerted by the three kids. The five of them hopped down from the bed.

"Boys, what's wrong?" Mr. Potato Head asked.

"They took her!" Brainy yelled.

"To the mystic portal!" Squirt said, back.

"Our brother informed us!" Champ exclaimed.

Woody shook his head. "Took who?"

"Mommyyy!" The LGMs all yelled. Mr. Potato Head felt his soul practically drop, a buzzing sound all of a sudden clogging his hearing. He stared at his boys, with an unmoving expression.

"Potato Head?" Slinky asked, when he didn't react in anger like most would expect. The spud snapped out of it.

"What do you mean...they took her?" Mr. Potato Head asked, trying not to stutter.

"Curses on them." Champ mumbled about the Pizza Planet toys.

"Our brother was with mommy." Brainy said, pointing to Squirt.

Squirt looked up at his dad with big eyes. "I returned, and noticed mommy hadn't come."

"Where did this happen, lil' critters?" Jessie asked, trying to take control of the situation since Mr. Potato Head wouldn't. The spud was in too much shock.

The toys all began to pile out of the room, the LGMs leading the way. They ran back down the hall at rapid speed, arriving within seconds. Buzz exchanged a look of worry with Woody, who didn't know what to say either.

They stopped at where Squirt was with Mrs. Potato Head.

"She was here." Squirt said.

"Are you sure she was taken? She might've went off somewhere." Woody asked. Mr. Potato Head still stood in frozen shock.

Squirt began to sniff the air, with his brothers all of a sudden doing the same thing. The toys exchanged some confused looks.

"What are they doing?" Buttercup asked.

"Using their alien senses." Buzz said. "They must still be in tune with the mother alien."

The LGMs stopped sniffing the air, their antennas all of a sudden flicking.

"Curses!" Champ yelled, again.

"They were here, previously." Brainy suggested, Squirt nodded in agreement.

"Ah! She was kidnapped!" Rex yelled, frantically.

"Abducted!" Trixie yelled, also panicked.

"Guys, this is no time to be hysterical!" Buzz said.

"It's the perfect time to be hysterical!" Hamm said. Mr. Potato Head still stayed frozen, while all the toys fought and worried. He took a step forward, before jerking his foot back when he stepped on something.

The spud looked down, and saw his wife's ear part on the floor. Small, pink, and with it's yellow pearl earring. With a shaky hand, he reached down and picked it up. The toys stopped fighting, taking notice to what he had found.

"Is that her ear?" Dolly asked. Mr. Potato Head didn't respond, and closed a fist around his wife's ear in his hand. While many expected him to have an outburst at any moment, the look on his face said it all. The spud was conflicted, and wildly terrified.

"We're gonna get her back." Woody assured a still-in-shock Mr. Potato Head. He twiddled with his wife's ear part.

"I should've seen this coming." Mr. Potato Head finally spoke.

"See what coming...?" Rex asked, nervously. Mr. Potato Head turned to look at the dinosaur, a look of anger replacing his conflicted expression. They all shuttered. There was the Mr. Potato Head they knew.

"What do you think, geekosaur?!" Mr. Potato Head yelled. "We refused to give them our kids, and now that queen freak has taken her as punishment!"

"Stop calling me geekosaur!" Rex yelled, nervously but a little aggravated.

"Or what, Godzilla!?"

"Enough!" Woody got in between the two. "Is this really how we want to start this? Potato Head, for all we know, they're torturing her right now!"

"Wow, that makes me feel comforted!" Mr. Potato Head sarcastically said. "What kind of leader are you!?"

"Stop it, both of you!" Buzz yelled over the bickering toys. "Potato Head, remember what your wife said last night? Stop pointing fingers, because it gets us no where!"

Mr. Potato Head would've kept fighting, but the sudden reminder of what Mrs. Potato Head said last night about always pointing fingers in every situation struck him hard. She was the only toy that could actually get across to him. But, she wasn't here. He had to listen to his wife through Buzz.

"All I'm saying." Woody said, calmly. "Is we can't afford to fight while our friend is in danger."

"Uh, guys?" Hamm said. The toys turned towards the rest of the kitchen, to notice Hamm had perked himself up near the window close to the front door. The piggy bank turned to look at the rest of them.

"What day is it, today?" Hamm asked.

"Uh," Buttercup thought for a moment. "Thursday."

Dolly arched an eyebrow. "Wait, doesn't Bonnie and her mom come home early on Thursdays?"

"Wednesdays and Thursdays." Pricklepants corrected.

"Yeah, because their car just pulled in." Hamm said looking out the window. The toys all gasped.

"Everyone! Back to the room!" Woody ordered. All of Bonnie's toys began to flee. Hamm came down from the window sill, running with the rest of the toys to the room. Buzz and Woody lagged behind, making sure everyone went.

Mr. Potato Head remained there.

"Potato Head!" Woody said. "Let's go!"

"What about _her_?" Mr. Potato Head asked, holding up his wife's ear as reference.

"It'll have to wait, Bonnie's coming." Buzz said.

"No! I can't go through playtime knowing she's there with those freaks!"

The keys of the front door began to jiggle. Woody and Buzz ran over to Mr. Potato Head.

"Potato Head, we're real sorry about this." Woody said. The cowboy and space ranger lifted the spud up by both his arms, and bolted back to Bonnie's room.

"Put me down, you idiots!" Mr. Potato Head struggled in their grip as they ran. He felt panicked. "You don't understand! She needs me!"

As soon as they ran into the threshold of Bonnie's room, they dropped Mr. Potato Head in his original place. Buzz and Woody ran to their spots and went limp. Everyone remained lifeless, except Mr. Potato Head.

He opened is closed fist, to look at his wife's ear.

"Potato Head." Dolly whispered, lying in her position. "We'll get her, but you know we can't right now..."

Mr. Potato Head hesitantly put Mrs. Potato Head's ear part in his back compartment. He looked over to his left, where Mrs. Potato Head's last frozen position was this morning as Bonnie had left them. He blinked a couple of times, hoping she would appear there.

But, this nightmare was real.

Mr. Potato Head only went lifeless when Bonnie entered. The little girl threw her bag to the ground.

"Hi, toys!" The little girl squealed. She immediately picked up Woody and Buzz, indulging into playtime.

"Woody!" Bonnie voiced through Buzz.

"Yeah, Buzz?" The little girl responded through her sheriff doll.

"The mayor's t-rex has escaped! If we don't hurry now, it...it..." Bonnie then dropped Woody and picked up Rex.

"Rawr!" Bonnie shook Rex in a terrifying-like manner. She pointed Buzz's lightbulb laser up, and 'shot' at Rex. "The dinosaur's too strong, Woody! We need to get help from the smartest spuds in town. The underground detectives, Mr. and Mrs-"

Bonnie turned to retrieve both Potato Heads, but stopped. Every single toy tensed up in their lifeless mode, watching as Bonnie stared at only one Potato Head. Though Mr. Potato Head was frozen like everyone else, he wanted so desperately run away and find his wife.

Bonnie's two arms slumped, still holding Rex and Buzz. She turned towards her bedroom door. "Mom?" She called down the hallway. Mrs. Anderson passed by her bedroom with a laundry basket.

"What is it, sweetie?" Mrs. Anderson asked. Bonnie put Rex and Buzz down.

"Where's my Mrs. Potato Head?" Bonnie asked. Mr. Potato Head's eyes flickered just a bit.

"Where'd you leave her?" Her mother said, leaning against the doorway. Bonnie turned and picked up Mr. Potato Head.

"Right next to Mr. Potato Head!" She said, holding him up high. Everyone was lifeless, but Mr. Potato Head could still feel the stares on his frozen self. They all knew this was killing him.

"I don't know, Bonnie." Mrs. Anderson said. "I'm sure you'll find her later, okay? Why don't you play with the rest of your toys, for now?"

Mrs. Anderson left with her laundry basket, while Bonnie turned to look at all her toys. They all knew what the little girl was thinking. Bonnie's way of coping with a situation, was turning it into a playtime scenario. But, their friend was kidnapped, and that certainly wasn't a playtime they would enjoy.

"It'll have to wait, Buzz." Bonnie voiced through Woody, as she picked him up. "We've got an important case, Mrs. Potato Head is missing!"

The toys all saddened. There goes a playtime that doesn't remind them of the situation they're dealing with. But, it's not like they could change it, anyway. As Bonnie continued to voice in her playtime, she still held Woody and Mr. Potato Head.

It was no question that that playtime was the worst of Mr. Potato Head's life. The only comfort he could really find, would be his wife's ear part jiggling inside his back compartment.

 _Oh honey, what are they doing to you?_

 **To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

Mrs. Potato Head finally came to, but felt wildly uncomfortable. Her hands were sore from still being tied behind her. The dirty old rag was still tied over her mouth, and a painful feeling shot up and down her back, the rag muffling her groaning. As she gained for feeling, she noticed that her left ear had been popped off, and placed somewhere else. She tried to gain it's feeling and hearing to tell where she might have left it, but she couldn't get in tune with it. She took in her surroundings and saw herself in the garage. The spud was placed in the corner. There was no car to be seen, Bonnie and her parents were gone for the whole day.

The light that came into the garage indicated that it was morning. Mrs. Potato Head had been unconscious all night after the Pizza Planet toys took her to the garage and knocked her out. Surely, her friends knew she was missing by now. That deepened her pain, knowing that they were probably worried sick about her.

Mrs. Potato Head motioned her eyes to the left when she heard light commotion. Pizza Man stood there, stirring something in a pot that heated over the family's miniature camping stove. His expression was dull. Though Mrs. Potato Head had a lower opinion of him now more than ever, a small part of her was relieved she woke up to find him instead of Queen Martian.

"You're up." Pizza Man said, without even looking at her. Mrs. Potato Head wanted to scream at him for acting so casual after kidnapping her. But, her body and mind was exhausted from such a rough night. She still didn't have feeling in her right shoulder, it was stiff. The female spud continued to look at Pizza Man with tired eyes.

"Don't get too comfortable." Pizza Man said, continuing to stir. "She'll be back any minute."

In a way, Mrs. Potato Head was kind of thankful for the heads up. Pizza Man had clearly spent most of his life with the mother alien to know of her destruction, it barely even seemed to bother him anymore.

"Well, well." Speaking of which. Queen Martian walked into Mrs. Potato Head's vision, looking at her coldly. Mrs. Potato Head barely had enough energy to react in any sort of way at her entrance.

"I assume our guest slept well. Don't you, pet?" Queen Martian asked Pizza Man. He didn't say anything, silently stirring the pot of wax. "No matter, she'll have a front seat to our upcoming show."

"Did you leave the note, or not?" Pizza Man asked in a dull manner, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, I did." Queen Martian eyed Pizza Man for his behaviour. She looked back at Mrs. Potato Head. "A little note to your family. I left it where they could find it. But of course, I did the task quickly. Wouldn't want to be seen by them."

Queen Martian leaned down closer to the spud. "But, I still caught a glimpse. They're devastated of your disappearance."

Mrs. Potato Head wouldn't give in to the martian's mockery. Of course her family was worried, but she wouldn't let Queen Martian use it against her.

Queen Martian looked up at the pot that Pizza Man stirred, sensing Mrs. Potato Head's curiosity. "Hot, liquidy wax." The mother alien said. "An important part of our plan."

Mrs. Potato Head blinked a few times, trying to regain her energy. Whatever this villain was up to, she wanted to be fully awake to here what it was.

"That's enough stirring, pet." Queen Martian said to Pizza Man. "Go fetch the wagging for our later plans."

Pizza Man took the metal rod out, and slipped the lid back on the pot. He jumped down, and walked to do his next task without another word. Mrs. Potato Head walked him walk off. _Wagon?_ She thought.

"To transport our secret weapon, of course." Queen Martian said, almost like she had read her mind. She motioned to the pot. The martian climbed up the stack of construction manuals to the top, and edged the lid off just a bit. She used the rod to flick just a bit of wax near Mrs. Potato Head's feet. The spud flinched, and watched as the wax immediately hardened in front of her.

"Fascinating, huh?" Queen Martian said. "It'll dry just as fast when I dump it all over your husband."

Mrs. Potato Head suddenly regained her energy, her eyes growing wide. _No_. She practically begged. _No, that could kill him_.

"That's right, the whole reason we need you." Queen Martian continued. "I'll have you placed where I need you, luring your husband in. The next thing he knows, you're swiped out of place and he's dumped with wax."

Queen Martian took a step forward. "And when I leave you and your friends to deal with Mr. _Candle_ Head, I'll already be gone. Meeting up with my henchman, who will have already swiped my aliens back. And we'll be out of here."

Mrs. Potato Head shook her head rapidly, now. "Mmmm!" She tried yelling through the rag. She couldn't afford to lose her husband along with her kids, too. Queen Martian only smiled at the female spud's pain.

"Oh dear, it's a fright isn't it?" Queen Martian said, closing the lid and turning off the stove. "Losing what you love the most in a matter of two days."

Mrs. Potato Head still shook her head, feeling powerless. Queen Martian walked closer to her, she kneeled in front of her. "But, what have you done to deserve it all?"

Mrs. Potato Head stared intently at Queen Martian, trying to stay strong once she began to pester her. "I'm a queen, I'm a title of respect. You're just a potato." Queen Martian mocked. "You're not a leader. No dinosaur, no cowgirl, nor a space ranger."

Comparing her to her friends hit her harder than she thought it ever could. Her deep care for her friends was reminded, and triggered her sense of overprotection. Mrs. Potato Head shook, desperately and angrily trying to break her hands and feet from the tied shoe laces. Queen Martian smirked.

"I'll tell you what you are." The martian hissed. "A housewife."

Mrs. Potato Head wishes her hands were free, because she would've slapped Queen Martian for the second time. The mother alien watched her struggle, so desperately trying to break the amount of laces.

Queen Martian crossed her arms, still smirking. "Can't get to me now, can you? Maybe your husband should've thought of the consequences before taking MY aliens all those years ago."

Mrs. Potato Head still tried breaking free, but her hands and feet were tied up far too good.

"Sorry, but not sorry, dear." Queen Martian said, turning quickly. Her cape whipped against Mrs. Potato Head's face, who flinched back. The martian continued to walk towards the other end of the garage, before looking at Mrs. Potato Head one more time.

"I'm going to see what's taking my henchman so long. You stay put, now!" She said through a laugh, before leaving. Mrs. Potato Head was left alone. She leaned her body back against the wall, taking in deep breaths. There was only so much of a fight she could put up. At first she was counting on her friends to rescue her, but now she was unsure.

Her kids weren't only in danger now, so was her husband.

* * *

Mr. Potato Head looked down at his wife's ear in his hand. He hadn't slept all night, and did exactly as he was doing now. Waiting, moping, and just staring at her ear part. The toys had made it clear that he had put up far too many fights, lately. More than usual. But unaware to them, Mr. Potato Head was the absolute worst at handling deeper feelings. And when his wife wasn't there to help, maybe that's all he had to turn to.

"Spud head?" A familiar deep voice asked. Mr. Potato Head looked up to see Hamm approaching. Knowing Hamm, he probably had some smart, joking comment in store for Mr. Potato Head as usual.

"I'm not in the mood, okay?" Mr. Potato Head said calmly, holding his wife's ear a little tighter.

"It's not what you think." Hamm said. "Just so you know, um...I've got your back."

Mr. Potato Head didn't think he heard the piggy bank properly. "What?"

Hamm nodded. "You guys are both my friends. And, uh... I know how much she means to you."

Mr. Potato Head stared blankly at Hamm for a second. The spud sometimes wondered if he made the right choice in a best friend, considering all the jokes Hamm cracked on him. But, it was rare moments like this that reminded him why he was his best friend. Besides, he joked on Hamm just as much. It's what kept the competitiveness of their relationship going. And at the end of the day, they really would got the limits to help one another.

"Thanks, Hamm." Mr. Potato Head responded, sincerely. Hamm nodded.

"Guys." Woody said, nervously. All the toys that were gathered turned towards the cowboy, who held a piece of paper in his hand.

"Is that a note, Woody?" Rex asked.

The sheriff nodded. "Yeah, from our little guests." Mr. Potato Head's attention was then fully directed towards Woody, at the mention of his wife's kidnappers.

Woody unfolded the paper, Buzz peering over his shoulder.

"What does it say?" Jessie asked, putting an arm around Bullseye.

Buzz read it out loud. "We have her. Want her? Meet us in the back garden an hour after noon. Signed, Queen M." The space ranger exchanged a weird look with Jessie and Woody.

"What? Does it say something else?" Mr. Potato Head asked.

"No." Buzz said, handing the note to the spud. "It's just, don't you think it's a little weird that they would kidnap her, only to return her to us a day later?"

The toys mumbled and exchanged some looks. Woody snapped his fingers in realization, getting their attention once again.

"It must be a bargain." Woody said.

"Bargain?" Trixie asked.

"A trade. They're trying to get the aliens by taking Mrs. P and using her as a trade." Woody explained.

Jessie shrugged her shoulders. "That has to be it."

"What're we gonna do?" Slinky asked, looking at the three aliens that were saddened by their mother's disappearance.

"We meet them." Woody said. "But, the aliens stay here. Away from them."

Mr. Potato Head nodded. "I'm in. But, I think they should be watched, in case." Some of the toys nodded in agreement, but were also unrecognizable of the spud's calm behaviour. Guess everyone had an alter ego in a crisis.

"Do you wanna stay and watch them?" Woody asked.

"No." The spud said. "No, I need to be there when we get my wife back."

"Okay." Buzz said. "Then it's your call for who stays with them."

Mr. Potato Head looked at the crowd of toys, looking at each of his friends. To be honest, it would be better if all of them came. But, having someone nearby the kids while they were at risk was probably a smarter choice.

"I pick fluffy, over 'ere." Mr. Potato Head said, pointing at Totoro. "He's big enough to put up a fight for the boys, in case."

Dolly nodded. "As long as he doesn't mind watching the peas, either."

The Peas in a Pod then turned towards Dolly in surprise and disappointment.

"What? No!" Peatrice said.

"We want to fight bad guys!" Peaty said

"And help get her back!" Peanelope agreed.

"Sorry, kids. It's too dangerous." Buzz said, putting his hands on his hips in a hero-like manner.

"Okay, guys." Woody said, stepping up. "We gather to meet in the garden for one o' clock. Remember, these restaurant branded toys are smarter than you think."

"Game faces, guys. No weak spots." Jessie pointed a finger at Rex, who shook nervously. "Our friend needs our help."

"If anyone needs some tips in combat, I'll be over here." Buzz said, as many of the toys followed him.

"Jessie, let's discuss how to talk them into giving her to us as a plan b." Woody said, putting an arm around Jessie as they walked towards another corner of the room. As all the toys dispersed to prepare, Mr. Potato Head looked at the note Queen Martian had written.

He scowled, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it with a grunt.

Hamm noticed Mr. Potato Head hadn't gone to prepare like the rest of the toys, and stayed back with him.

"You're not going to combat training with Lightyear?" Hamm asked. The spud had his back to the piggy bank.

"I know just enough." Mr. Potato Head said. Though his back was turned, he was clearly looking at his wife's ear.

Hamm sighed. "Spud head, maybe you should talk to your kids."

Mr. Potato Head turned around. "About what?"

"Their mother. This is killing them too, you know?"

"Of course I know, I spent an hour trying to get them to fall asleep last night."

Hamm rolled his eyes. "Just think about this concept for a second-"

"You're suppose to have my back, not be a therapist." Mr. Potato Head snapped, though there wasn't a lot of heart put into it.

"This _is_ me having your back." Hamm defended. "Just listen, will ya?"

"Okay."

"They've spent years probably trying to forget living under queenie's power. And now, their mom is living the consequence. I'm sure they feel awful."

"I know, I'm trying to console them, but last night all they could do was look up at me and ask 'what did they do to mommy'?" Mr. Potato Head explained. "I mean, how am I suppose to answer?"

"I dunno, hold 'em close?" Hamm said. "I'm not trying to give parenting advice. I'm trynna get you to realize what they might be feeling. Why do you think they were 'eternally grateful' for so many years?"

"The same reason it's always been. I saved them from flying out the truck."

Hamm groaned. "Snap out of it, spud head. Do you seriously STILL think that's the reason they followed you and thanked you for so many years? Even after queenie and her henchman arrived?"

"Yeah, porky. What else could it be?"

"They weren't thankful that you saved their lives from flying out a car window." Hamm said. "They're thankful because you saved their lives from something much worse. The alien queen, herself."

The spud went frozen, his thoughts all of a sudden placing correctly. Mr. Potato Head saw his entire life run through his head at the speed of lightning. For once, it all made sense. Years of those boys thanking him for a reason he didn't even know about. From living with that cold-hearted Queen Martian. Their life was so awful before he found them. Trapped on a string, literally, controlled by a crazed mother alien. He rescued them, from a life they hated, brining them to a better one.

And he ignored that for the first few years.

Mr. Potato Head looked at the LGMs that stood past Hamm, and walked towards them. He patted Hamm on the shoulder in a thankful manner, while approaching his kids. The aliens stayed in their trio as usual, and looked at their approaching father.

The spud scooped them up, hugging them closely. "I'm sorry." He uttered. "I-I'm so sorry, I should've known, boys..."

The LGMs nuzzled into their father's hug, feeling comforted. It had been so scary, knowing their mom was taken by an evil figure of their past. But, their father had comforted them either way, even if he didn't know it himself. He was a greater parent to them more than he realized. Their hero before they even learned that they would have a loving mother along with him all those years ago.

"We can help." Brainy said.

"To save her life." Champ said.

"And she'll be eternally grateful." Squirt finished. Mr. Potato Head let go of his boys, and wiped his eye.

"No." Mr. Potato Head said, softly. "No, your mom and I can't risk anything, okay?"

Squirt stepped up wanting to say something, but Champ pushed him back. All three of them nodded, Mr. Potato Head relaxing just a bit. The boys walked off, and the spud fiddled with his wife's ear in his hand. If only he could let her know they were coming.

Mr. Potato Head perked up in realization, holding the ear closer for observation. Maybe he could. The spud looked around, to make sure no one was watching, and went off to a quieter part of the room.

He took a breath, before holding the ear part close and whispering.

"Honey, listen to my voice."

* * *

His voice travelled, like a tin phone can. It triggered her senses. Even a short distance from Bonnie's room to the garage was a hard commute for parts to work, unless it was focused very well.

Mrs. Potato Head's eyes opened, after leaning in her tied position for an hour. Pizza Man and Queen Martian had taken the rag on her mouth off, but she was still tied up.

She felt the impulse to listen. Like a small wind had gotten her attention. The voice was muffled, but becoming more clear by the second. She was becoming in tune with her missing ear part. She began to gain feeling of where it was, as it's hearing developed. It was in a familiar grasp, attached to a familiar voice.

 _"Honey, I hope you can hear me._ _"_ The voice spoke clearly. Mrs. Potato Head practically felt his breath on her ear. She made sure she was alone. Pizza Man was nearby, but Queen Martian wasn't around.

"Darling..." She responded. There was absolutely no way her husband could hear her back, but his voice alone gave her comfort.

 _"If you can hear this, just know I love you."_ Mr. Potato Head's voice whispered, almost like he was right next to her. As he talked, Mrs. Potato Head closed her eyes and leaned back, imagining that his arms were around her.

 _"The boys are safe, but they're worried about you. We all are."_ Mr. Potato Head continued. _"I know you can't be too far, I'm sure you're just in a deeper depth of the house that we don't go to. Like...the garage."_

"Yes, yes that's exactly where I am." Mrs. Potato Head whispered. "Oh, sweetheart..."

 _"Stay strong, dear. I know you can."_ Mr. Potato Head said. _"And I'll meet you half way. We can save our kids."_

Mrs. Potato Head nodded, feeling like she was on the urge to happy cry.

 _"We got their note."_ Mr. Potato Head said. _"Don't worry, Totoro is gonna watch the boys while we come to get you. They're probably trying to bargain, but we'll get you back and keep the boys safe."_

Mrs. Potato Head jerked up in fright, while looking at the pot of wax and listening to her husband. "No, darling, n-no. They're trying to trick you."

 _"You and the boys will both be safe."_

"No, sweetheart. Don't fall for it!" Mrs. Potato Head panicked, desperately wishing her husband was able to hear her. Pizza Man noticed her talking to herself, and looked at her as he continued to search through a tool box.

 _"They'll be safe. We're coming to get you, sweet potato."_

"I can't lose you too, you can't fall for it!" Mrs. Potato Head said, as Pizza Man fought the urge to interfere. If Queen Martian was around, she would've tried shutting her up, already.

 _"I love you."_ Mr. Potato Head spoke. Mrs. Potato Head all of a sudden felt a tingly feeling. Half of her hearing being blocked out, as she began to lose feeling in her left ear once again. He was gone, and coming for her. She couldn't stop it.

Mrs. Potato Head leaned back against the wall, looking at her tied feet. She shut her eyes closed in sadness. "I love you, too..."

Pizza Man looked from Mrs. Potato Head to the tool box, continuing to rummage through it. "I'm guessing he found your ear."

Mrs. Potato Head shot an inhospitable stare at the pizza toy. "Shut. Up." She said, through gritted teeth. "You're no better than your queen, for helping her kidnap me."

Pizza Man tossed a screwdriver back into the toolbox. "She's not my queen." He said, a little louder than usual. "Nobody's my leader."

"And yet, you continue to listen to her?" Mrs. Potato Head said. "You big coward."

"Do you seriously think I'm afraid of her?" Pizza Man said. "I could be less intimidated by her."

"So you do this for your own pleasure then?" Mrs. Potato Head hissed. "Tearing my family apart, I'm glad that's so enjoyable to you."

"Stop accusing me of all that!" Pizza Man said, reaching deep into the tool box. "I'm not any of those things!"

"I don't believe a word you're saying." Mrs. Potato Head said. "What kind of toy ties up a fellow toy, without any reason behind it?"

"Okay, FINE." Pizza Man said. "Maybe I do listen to her. But, it's not because she has some sort of power over me."

"Then what is it?"

Pizza Man looked towards Mrs. Potato Head. "It's because I don't have any other option."

"What?"

"I spent a decade in that Pizza Planet truck. You learn a lot in that span of time."

Mrs. Potato Head rolled her eyes. "Okay, you've spent your whole life in a delivery truck. Maybe if you had the chance to leave-"

" _Chance_ to leave?" Pizza Man said, picking up some black duct tape. "I could've left that truck, years ago."

Mrs. Potato Head shrugged her shoulders. "Then I'm missing the point. Why didn't you?"

"I told you, I don't have any other option."

"So what, you just assume that this world has no place for you except for a crummy old delivery truck?"

"Yes!"

"You're ridiculous, why would you think that?"

Mrs. Potato Head caught Pizza Man frozen. He looked at her, waiting for a response to slip out of his mouth. Mrs. Potato Head arched an eyebrow, and Pizza Man shook his head.

"I don't have to explain by backstory to you." Pizza Man spat, continuing to look through the tool box.

Mrs. Potato Head sighed. "Look, I may be your boss's prisoner." She said, carefully. "But, I'm willing to listen."

Pizza Man looked up. "Really?"

"I'm all ears." Mrs. Potato Head said. She remembered her missing ear. "Well...ear."

Pizza Man felt uncertain. He'd never talked about himself to anyone, because he'd spent most of his life with a queen who liked talking about herself or her missing aliens after they left.

"Fine. Here's the deal." Pizza Man stopped using the tool box. "Truth is, I'm the only kind of toy of my type. I'm part of the Pizza Planet brand, but there's no other toy in the company's market like me."

Mrs. Potato Head inched her mouth open. "So, you're one of a kind?"

"A prototype." Pizza Man corrected. "I was built as a test for kids to see if they enjoyed me as a Pizza Planet toy. If they did, they would've continued to manufacture and sell more like me, But, I was rejected."

Mrs. Potato Head listened, carefully.

"None of the kids liked me. They said I didn't go along with the whole space theme of Pizza Planet." Pizza Man paused for a second. "I was almost thrown away, until a pizza delivery guy agreed to take me as a souvenir for the truck. And...the rest is history."

Mrs. Potato Head pursed her lips, feeling as though she misjudged. "I'm sorry..."

Pizza Planet shook his head. "Don't be."

"Was she a prototype, too?" Mrs. Potato Head asked, reffering to Queen Martian.

"No." Pizza Man said. "There's plenty of her kind sold at Pizza Planet. She was won at the ticket counter by the delivery guy when he was on his break. Lazy fellow, always going past break hours."

Mrs. Potato Head couldn't help but chuckle, Pizza Man also cracking a bit of a smile. "And the little green aliens, they're the most popular toys sold at Pizza Planet."

"Those are my boys." Mrs. Potato Head said, softly and proudly.

Pizza Man nodded. "But, yeah. If those child critics didn't like me, who would?"

"No, that's not true." Mrs. Potato Head said, trying to inch forward while she was tied up. "There's a child out there that has a place for you. Every toy is needed somewhere."

"Come on, who would want a pizza toy?"

"I'm a potato." Mrs. Potato Head pointed out, trying to compare.

"Yeah, but you and your husband are a classic brand. Original, and evolutionary." Pizza Man said. "Also you're beautifu-"

Pizza Man shut his mouth, while Mrs. Potato Head arched an eyebrow. He tried to not go there. "Doesn't matter, I don't have a place."

"Yes, you do." Mrs. Potato Head urged. "Listen to me."

Pizza Man sighed, before looking back at her with a hopeless expression.

"You can do the right thing." Mrs. Potato Head said. "You can let me go. If you do, we'll help you. It's not too late for a toy like you to make the right decision. Maybe this is your other option. Us, helping you by you helping us."

Pizza Man didn't respond, and sadly gazed at his red converse.

"If you don't do this, three little green aliens will be suffered to a life far more worse than your's has been." Mrs. Potato Head said. "Please, Pizza Man. It's not too late to turn this whole thing around."

Pizza Planet looked at her gaze focused on him. Her eyes pleading. "Please, I'm begging you. Help me."

Pizza Man stared at Mrs. Potato Head for a second, distracted by the emotion uttered in her face. Despite how sad she looked, she really was beautiful. It was slowly repelling Pizza Man to answer.

He opened his mouth to speak, before Queen Martian entered.

"Area is secure." Queen Martian said. "It's time that we start loading our guest and the wax, right pet?"

Neither Mrs. Potato Head nor Pizza Man said anything. The spud stared at him, her eyes begging for him to make the change. He looked backed at her, clearly conflicted. Stuck between two paths that Mrs. Potato Head was fighting so hard for him to pick the right one.

"Pet? I asked you to start loading her?" Queen Martian said.

Mrs. Potato Head lightly mouthed 'please,' not breaking eye contact. The longer he waited to answer, the more hope she lost.

"PET!" Queen Martian yelled. Pizza Man frowned.

"I'll load the wax first." The pizza toy responded. Mrs. Potato Head merely stared at him with a grieved look. Queen Martian smirked while going to pick up the dirty rag and walking up to Mrs. Potato Head.

"I was right. You _are_ a coward." Mrs. Potato Head said shamefully, before Queen Martian covered her mouth with the rag.

 **To be continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

Everything seemed to be moving quicker than she could process. As soon as the words had left Pizza Man's mouth and she had called him a coward in return, Mrs. Potato Head watched it all happen before her. Considering she was tied up, Pizza Man had to carry her onto Bonnie's red wagon. She tensed, when he touched her, feeling disgusted to so much be looking at toy that chose to continue and help Queen Martian after pouring his tragic past out to Mrs. Potato Head.

The spud was placed on top of the wagon, leaning against the closed pot that was loaded as well. With a press of a button on a remote held by Queen Martian, the garage door began to open up. The daylight that peered in pierced at Mrs. Potato Head's eyes, having been stuck in the garage for what seemed like forever, though it's only been merely a day.

"Onwards, my pet!" Queen Martian announced leading the way. Pizza Man looked from her to the handle of the wagon.

"What? I have to pull this thing myself?" Pizza Man said.

Queen Martian turned to look at him. "There is a reason I am the brains, and you are the muscle. Besides, our guest can't be that heavy."

Pizza Man rolled his eyes, while Mrs. Potato Head just stared at her feet, her eyelids heavy. She might as well should've gone into her lifeless toy mode, because there was nothing else she could do.

"I was referring to the wagon, and the giant pot of wax." Pizza Man spat. "She's not even a speck of that weight that's gonna rip my arms off."

Queen Martian smirked and looked at Mrs. Potato Head. "That wouldn't be much of a problem for you."

Mrs. Potato Head continued to stare woeful at her feet, more still than anything.

"Oh, someone's not putting up a fight anymore?" Queen Martian teased. "I suppose you've finally learned that-"

"She get's it, okay?" Pizza Man had uttered aggressively, taking the mother alien by shock. He's talked back plenty, but never in a tone so...unlike him. Mrs. Potato Head didn't shift her gaze, whatsoever. Why would she? As her husband would say, everything was done, finished, over the hill.

Queen Martian's shock eased into dullness. "Let's go." She said, before turning and leading the way. Pizza Man pressed his lips together in tension, lifting the wagon handle and pulling it with a grunt. Mrs. Potato Head shifted a bit from the shakiness of the wagon, her back pressing against the metal of the pot behind her.

Once out, Queen Martian pressed the 'close' button, and tossed the remote inside before the garage door closed all the way. They slowly made their way to the back garden, their pace matching Mrs. Potato Head's mood perfectly. The only thing being heard were the grunts of Pizza Man pulling the wagging, it being too heavy for one toy. Mrs. Potato Head already felt it. Her husbandless and childless life around the corner. She could see it. All she would have left would be Bonnie and her friends. As much as she loved her owner and her friends of toys, how could she lead a normal life after losing the things she loved most? Her husband and kids. How could she breathe? How could she fall asleep at night knowing she's lost them? Trying endure a joyful playtime? They would never be beside her in playtime, again. They would never get to be passed on to another owner with her when Bonnie goes off to college. They wouldn't be there for Bonnie's childhood, or give her one to hold onto. Wouldn't be there for the good moments with everyone in their tight gang. She would never have another anniversary with her husband. Never would tend to her kids, again. She had always worried they would be separated through a yard sale, but not like this.

The only luck she felt right now was that Queen Martian had stopped teasing her about it. But, it didn't seem like she could lower her spirits any less. Mrs. Potato Head had hit rock bottom. Her hope dangled on a weak twig, ready to snap off.

"Give me a hand, will you?" Pizza Man said to Queen Martian through a wheeze, exhausted from pulling the wagon. The mother alien rolled her eyes, and came and helped. They pulled at the wagon, walking at a backwards pace.

Queen Martian looked up at Mrs. Potato Head. The spud hadn't changed her expression since the alien had tied the rag back over her mouth. Queen Martian had finally got the message across, and Mrs. Potato Head received it.

Queen Martian shook her head. "It's for their own good, dear." She said, her voice cruel, but also serious. "I'm taking the boys off your hands, because I know how to take care of them, properly. And your husband will pay for it with this wax, because he is not a valid part of your life, either. You know him better than I do, you must see how full of negative attitude he is."

 _It doesn't matter. I love him with everything I am and everything he is._ Mrs. Potato Head's thoughts boomed in her mind. _And I love my boys, too..._

"It's his payment," Queen Martian continued, "and leaving you with both of your losses is your's. This is a lesson, dear. To show you that you've taken charge of a life too big for you to handle. And, I'm getting what is rightfully mine. Living the fairytale dream is only meant for few of us."

Pizza Man coughed, as though dust had gotten in his breathing. But, it hadn't. Only Mrs. Potato Head noticed.

They continued to tug the wagon, slowly pulling it into the garden area. Once they pulled to a stop, Mrs. Potato Head tensed, realizing exactly how real this all was. Pizza Man climbed up, picked her up, and carried her down.

"Put her in front of the shrub." Queen Martian ordered, pointing at a pine bush. "And get the wax."

As Pizza Man continued to do his work at a slow pace, Queen Martian carefully adjusted Mrs. Potato Head's position. The mother alien grabbed and extra shoelace they had brought along, and tied the end around Mrs. Potato Head's waist. Mrs. Potato Head watched as the alien reeled the rest of the rope back into the bush. The spud knew exactly what it was for. A part of the whole reason she's used for this plan. To yank her away at last minute from her husband so he could be dumped with the pot of wax that Pizza Man was struggling to push into the shrub.

Queen Martian clapped her hands together. "Perfect, pet! You've been of excellent assistance." Pizza Man didn't respond. He stopped pushing at the pot, when it was perfectly positioned and hidden in the shrub.

"Now, then." Queen Martian said. "Go get into position. As soon as I tug at her string and push at the pot, I'll run back and should expect you to be in the front with my children."

Pizza Man nodded, unenthusiastically. As soon as the words hit Mrs. Potato Head's ear, she perked up in horror. She knew this was happening, but now it really was.

"Mmmm!" She screamed through the rag covering her mouth after Pizza Man, who slowly began to walk around the the front of the house to sneak in and do his job. "Mmmmm! MMMM!" She kicked and screamed. Pizza Man glimpsed over his shoulder at her, before he was out of sight.

"Mm...!" Mrs. Potato Head continued to struggle. Queen Martian took another look at her.

"Your moment to shine. Your family should be here for you any minute." Queen Martian said. She walked into the shrub, leaving Mrs. Potato Head out in the open by herself. Bait, like a worm on a hook. She felt herself tugged back a bit, Queen Martian having picked up the lace in the bush, waiting patiently.

* * *

"Everyone stays together. Got it?" Woody said, as Bonnie's toys walked down the hallway of the house. Everyone except for Totoro, the peas, and the LGMs, as the fluffy toy had agreed to keep the kids behind. Everyone walked at a determined pace. Rex nervously carried a pencil in a combat manner.

"I don't think that's gonna do much, Rex." Trixie commented, looking at Rex's pencil.

"I'm glad I'm low on change, for once." Hamm said to Slinky. "Those Pizza Planet nuts are about to get some PORK-CHOP!"

Unusually, Mr. Potato Head was in the front, leading with the usual leaders of Buzz, Jessie, and Woody. They walked a little further from everyone else. And it was perfect, because Woody thought he should do what he does best as a leader. Talk.

"Hey." Woody said to Mr. Potato Head. The spud kept walking, but looked at Woody. "We're gonna put up as big of a fight as we need to."

Mr. Potato Head had a mutual expression. "I should hope so."

The cowboy nodded. "You know that...they're expecting something from us."

"Whatever it is, I'm not giving it to them. I know they're just after my boys."

"Okay, I'm just trying to warn you getting her back won't be easy."

Mr. Potato Head kept his vision forward while walking. He shut his eyes and grunted for a brief second, twitching with a painful motion. Jessie and Buzz exchanged a look, while Woody looked on at the spud with concern.

"Potato Head?" Woody asked.

"The last thing she said to me before this all happened was 'I'll see you later.'" Mr. Potato Head suddenly said. A little too abruptly as well, getting some of the other's attention.

Jessie bit her lip. "You will, we're gonna get her back."

"I know that." Mr. Potato Head corrected. "I just...erm..."

"What?"

"Well, I..."

Woody couldn't help but crack a smile a bit. He could clearly see what was going on. Mr. Potato Head was not one to open up at all. The spud obviously wanted someone to talk to about his problem, but didn't want to make the first move. He couldn't break his grumpy reputation by being soft, after all.

"We're here to listen." Woody said. "We may not be your wife, but we've got ears."

Mr. Potato Head let out a puff of air, glad that was less embarrassing than it could've been. He didn't want to come off as a weakling. Talking about his issues was not his forte, and his friends clearly knew.

"Okay." Mr. Potato Head began. "I obviously plan on going back to that room, having both my wife and kids."

"Of course."

"But," Mr. Potato Head said, nervously. "You ever find yourself...thinking of worse scenarios in a bad situation?"

Woody nodded. "That's normal, if that's what you were worried about."

Mr. Potato Head rolled his eyes. "No, that's not it."

Jessie stepped to Mr. Potato Head's right. "Is some kind of 'worse scenario' pickin' at your mind?"

Mr. Potato Head gritted his teeth, nervously. "Eh...this was a mistake, never mind."

"No, no, come on." Buzz encouraged him to continued. "We're not gonna judge you, okay?"

Mr. Potato Head sighed, his hands shaking just a bit. He clasped them together, hoping they didn't notice. "All this that's happening just makes me think...what would happen if I would have to choose between saving my wife, or my boys."

Jessie gave a sincere look to Mr. Potato Head, that the spud didn't recognize whatsoever. People changed suddenly through opening up. "It's okay, you don't need to worry about that."

The spud nodded, gripping at his shaken hands. "I-I know I don't. But...how could someone even answer in a situation like that?"

"You can't." Woody said.

"I'm a coward. I ignored raising my boys for years."

"No, you're not a coward." Woody assured. "You...just weren't ready."

"Come on, Woody." Mr. Potato Head's voice was bleeding with grief. The way the male spud had uttered Woody's name sent daggers through Woody's chest. Never had the sheriff ever heard such an emotional need come from Mr. Potato Head, that was targeted to him. The spud had spent years in the making of building walls and hiding what really terrifies him. For the first time, Woody felt closer to Mr. Potato Head.

The spud clasped his hands even tighter together. In panic, Mr. Potato Head shut his eyes and threw his hands to his temples in fists. "I couldn't choose, I-I couldn't choose. I wouldn't be able to."

"Whoa, whoa, deep breaths, buddy." Buzz tried calming his friend down. "It's alright, okay?"

"But, what if I had to?"

"You WON'T!" Woody had shouted. All the toys stopped at Woody's sudden outburst, staring at him. The front leaders stopped as well, looking at them. Woody let out a puff of air in frustration, and walked to the side with Mr. Potato Head and Buzz for a minute of privacy.

"Let's just drop it, okay? We can talk later..." Mr. Potato Head said, suddenly afraid of the time slipping and sudden attention on him.

"No, listen." Woody urged. "You're lucky. Way too lucky, alright? Someone who has as much love as you do, and deserves it as much as you do, doesn't deserve for it to slip away so easily. I can promise you, we're not letting anything change. I'm not letting anything change."

Mr. Potato Head's eyes suddenly became glossy. "You think I'm lucky...?"

"You don't?"

"No, I do." Mr. Potato Head said. "Just, coming from you..."

Woody nodded. "I know, that's unexpected, coming from me." he sighed. "Potato Head, I know you might not believe this, but I do appreciate you. Okay? You stand up for what you believe in, and as far as I'm concerned, the world sometimes needs more people like that."

The spud hadn't noticed that he'd been staring at Woody in shock. His lanky arms had practically sinked to the floor.

"Before you met Mrs. Potato Head, you were in this...void. You've changed so much. The love you two have is something that shouldn't be lost. Okay? I've lost love, and I don't want anyone to ever experience what I went through. Ever."

The mention of Bo tugged at Woody's chest clearly, because Mr. Potato Head saw the cowboy shift uncomfortably.

"We're gonna get her back, just please don't freak out the last minute when she needs you the most. Don't make the mistakes I did."

Mr. Potato Head regained feeling, and shifted his arms back up. He shook off his moment of panic, and looked at the cowboy with a sense of bravery. "Let's go."

The spud walked back to the group of toys, as everyone slowly went back into a walk on their way to the garden. Buzz and Woody watched them, and begin to follow behind.

"That was good of you to admit, Woody." Buzz said, patting him on the back. "Getting some sense into him."

"Buzz." Woody said, sadly. "While that's all true, there's another reason to it."

The space ranger was conflicted. "What? What is it?"

"Buzz, when Bo was sold, it destroyed me." Woody explained. "But, Potato Head, someone who has all these feelings wrapped up in a tiny little box, wouldn't know how to handle it. It would destroy him for far too long if he lost his wife. Oppressing him into something worse because his emotion is too big for him to figure out. That's his weakness, Buzz. Being alone before he met her, let alone knowing he'd lose her. I just don't want him to wreck himself if something like this would ever happen."

Buzz shook his head in disbelief. "Why wouldn't you tell him that?"

"Because it's too true for him to believe." Woody said. "Some things are just too big for us."

"Woody..."

"Promise me you won't tell him."

"Woody, don't you think-"

"Promise, Buzz."

The space ranger's head felt heavy. So much information passed in so very little time on such a depressing topic was a lot even for the strongest of leaders. But deep down, he knew Woody was right. Mr. Potato Head had a weakness like everyone, and losing someone he cares deeply about would activate it beyond it's capability.

"Okay, I promise." Buzz said.

The toys didn't break their confidence from the little outburst. They stayed strong for Mrs. Potato Head's sake. The poor thing was probably terrified. They couldn't let their guard down because of some emotional tear in their plan.

They made their way to the back door, slipping their way through the doggy door. Mr. Potato Head caught himself looking behind his back a few times, to make sure that his sons had remained in the room and didn't follow them. He knew they hadn't followed, but it was batting at his head. Every worse scenario that could possibly happen.

As the toys entered the back garden, they began to walk cautiously. The fall coldness hit against their material, causing them to chill.

"I don't see anyone." Jessie said.

"They said one, right?" Hamm asked.

"This is a trick, isn't it?" Mr. Potato Head spat, succumbing to his normal attitude again. "They didn't even show-"

"Over there, y'all!" Slinky said, pointing his paw across to his left. The toys all looked towards a pine shrub that Slinky was pointing to, noticing a familiar figure sitting right in front of it. Mrs. Potato Head sat in the distance, tied up with laces. She perked up, noticing her family.

"Geez, they have some knot skills." Jessie said, squinting her eyes to get a better look at Mrs. Potato Head. "She's tied up like a sow in slavery."

Mrs. Potato Head's expression didn't look relieved like anyone had expected at all. In fact, she shook rapidly. It looked as though she was trying to break the tight laces, or maybe the rag that was covering her mouth. It broke Mr. Potato Head's soul, seeing her struggling so much.

"Honey, I'm coming!" Mr. Potato Head cupped his hands around his mouth, calling towards her. His wife seemed to shake more. Woody put a stopping hand on Mr. Potato Head.

"No." The cowboy said,

"What do you mean, no?"

"It seems too easy." Woody said, looking at Mrs. Potato Head. The female spud shook even more.

"Woody, she looks terrified." Jessie said. "We need to get her out of 'ere before she strains herself."

"Guys, listen." Woody said, turning to face everyone. "They kidnapped her, agreed to meet with us after a day. Assumingely, this was suppose to be a bargain we wouldn't give in to."

"We were never positive it's a bargain, Woody." Dolly said. "For all we know, it's a lot simpler than that."

"Maybe they've realized they were wrong." Trixie suggested.

"You guys can't be serious." Woody said.

"I think Woody's right, guys." Buzz said. "They wouldn't just leave her out in the open like that."

The toys didn't respond, their eyes bulging at what stood behind them. Woody and Buzz turned around, and saw that Mr. Potato Head had begun to march across the way to Mrs. Potato Head.

"Potato Head! It's a bad idea!" Woody called in worry. Mr. Potato Head waved a disregarding hand over his shoulder at the cowboy, as he kept walking in determination towards his wife.

"I'm coming, hold on." Mr. Potato Head spoke under his breath. As he walked, he noticed his wife's tension. She shook rapidly. His wife almost looked afraid of him. She shook, desperately trying to tear her rag off. The female spud's eyes bulged, and even from a distance her husband could see a fire of horror that laid in her eyes, allowing him to slow down his pace. She kicked, and the closer he got he heard screaming being masked behind the rag that covered her mouth.

"Potato Head, come back..." Woody spoke in a hushed voice. Mrs. Potato Head shook with every motion of her husband getting closer. "Come back! Something's not right!"

The spud didn't break his gaze as he approached her. Mrs. Potato Head shut her eyes close, while whipping herself back and forth. Trying to loosen something, anything. Mr. Potato Head only felt sympathy. She was terrified, but never had looked so desperate for anything. She looked at him with these pleading eyes, still whipping herself back and forth.

As soon as she got the rag loose from her mouth, she belted it out just as he approached.

"DARLING, NO! IT'S A TRAP!" Mrs. Potato Head screamed for every toy to hear.

Before his very own eyes, Mr. Potato Head watched his wife be yanked back by something into the darkness of the shrub. Before he could run to save her, Something came pouring out of the bush at his very own eyes. The grey waterfall surrounded him, knocking him to the ground faster than he could process. It washed all over his body, hardening and tightening from the exposed air. He screamed as it froze around his body.

"POTATO HEAD!" The toys yelled, running towards what was now a grey lump of wax.

In the bush, Queen Martian gripped Mrs. Potato Head's shoulders. "Thanks for everything." Her voice sent chills down Mrs. Potato Head's back, before the alien made a bolt for it.

"NO!" Mrs. Potato Head yelled after her. The pines of the bush were batted away, as many of the toys came in and pulled Mrs. Potato Head out. She looked at them with fear.

"Someone after her! It's a part of her plan, she's going to take the boys!" Mrs. Potato Head had said in a flurry. But oddly enough, everyone heard her clearly.

"Come on!" Woody yelled, running in the direction Queen Martian ran in. Slinky, Hamm, and Bullseye followed behind. The rest of the toys began to untie Mrs. Potato Head from the tight shoelaces.

"Mrs. P, are you alright?" Jessie asked. When the spud was untied from her knots, she approached the lump of wax. As did the rest of the toys. It was unmoving, her husband under there.

"Darling..."

"Mrs. P, your kids." Jessie said. "You need to go."

Mrs. Potato Head stared at the lump where her husband had been marching up to her. She felt like everything around her had disappeared, staring at the solid pile of wax. Everything stopped moving, her breathing paused.

"Mrs. Potato Head. Go." Buzz said. "There' nothing else we can do for him, right now."

"Don't you dare say that..." Mrs. Potato Head uttered through a shaky voice, looking at the lump of wax.

"You know he'd want to you to go for the kids." Buzz said. That got through to the spud. She shook her head, before bolting in the other direction. Mr. Potato Head would urge for her to go after the villains trying to take their kids, if he couldn't do it himself.

"The rest of you stay here." Buzz said, as him and Jessie followed Mrs. Potato Head.

"And what, babysit the pile of wax?" Buttercup called after Buzz, but they were already gone.

Dolly put a hand on the solid lump of wax. "What have they done to you? Grumpy ol' spud..." she said, almost sounding apologetic. Rex approached as well.

"He'll be okay, right?" The dinosaur asked, standing with Bonnie's original toys. They exchanged looks of worry.

* * *

"Curses on you!" Champ yelled at Pizza Man, standing behind Totoro. They remained in Bonnie's room, as Champ launched a building block at Pizza Man. The rubber pizza toy ducked, unamused.

"You'll never take us!" Squirt yelled.

"We like it here better than our home planet!" Brainy pointed an aggressive green finger at the pizza toy, much like his father would.

Totoro shielded the LGMs behind him, as well as the Peas in a Pod, looking on at Pizza Man aggressively, knowing of his intentions. Pizza Man stood there with his hands on his hips, and rolled his eyes at the kids' behaviour.

"Kids, just listen-" Pizza Man began.

"No! You can't take the aliens!" Peaty yelled.

"Their our friends!" Peanelope said.

"You're a meanie!" Peatrice accused.

"Enough!" Pizza Man shouted over the kids. "I'm done with all of that. I'm just doing what your mom says."

"She's not our mother!" Squirt yelled, reffering to Queen Martian. "She's not our master! Neither are you!"

"Not that spoiled queen. I'm talking about your _real_ mother." Pizza Man said. "Mrs. Potato Head, the one who actually cares about you."

The LGMs perked up, all of a sudden wanting to approach. Totoro held them back, still staring intently at Pizza Man.

"Mommy?" Squirt asked in a small voice. "You're...not following orders of the queen?"

"Not anymore." Pizza Man said. "I'm doing the right thing. Now come on, your parents are in trouble."

 **To be continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

"Where are you, you fool?" Queen Martian hissed, waiting in the front lawn. She had given Pizza Man specific instructions to be here with the LGMs as soon as she had arrived. But, the rubber pizza toy was no where to be seen.

The mother alien tensed when Woody, Mrs. Potato Head, Buzz, Jessie, Slinky, Hamm, and Bullseye came running around the corner.

"Where are my kids?!" Mrs. Potato Head spat, pointing a finger at Queen Martian.

"I'd tell you, but my henchman is on a tight schedule." Queen Martian said, crossing her arms. She smirked at the spud's behaviour. "You're certainly acting like your husband. Is this your way of avenging him?"

"You're darn right." Mrs. Potato Head uttered coldly. For the first time ever, Queen Martian looked on at Mrs. Potato Head with a worried expression. She slowly uncrossed her arms.

"My husband isn't going down without a fight, and I'm not letting you take what I have left, either. Their my boys." Mrs. Potato Head ran two hands up both of her arms as though she was rolling up sleeves in preparation for a fight. "If I have to hit you again to teach you a lesson, so be it."

Jessie stepped forward. "Mrs. P-"

"No, Jess." Woody stopped the cowgirl, looking at her with certain. "This is her fight." Jessie took a step back.

Queen Martian whipped her cape behind her in an aggressive matter. "I suppose the winner takes the kids?"

"Not until the loser chooses to stay down." Mrs. Potato Head stared fiercely at the alien. "Or, worse condition if we must."

Queen Martian let out a laughing scoff, before pulling out the same metal rod. "And I suppose you brought a weapon?"

Without hesitation, Mrs. Potato Head removed her left arm, holding it with her right. The spud whipped it like a whip, making the the sound of a real one and aggressively hitting the air. She held it in a combat manner.

"I've got my own tricks too, you know." Mrs. Potato Head. The two proceeded to circle around each other, one waiting for the first move.

"Afraid of not living up to real combat standards?" Queen Martian tried getting into Mrs. Potato Head's head.

The female spud stared, intently. "You don't scare me, anymore. You've crossed the line, and now you're the one who should be afraid."

"Oh, how sweet. A protective mother, indeed." Queen Martian teased. "Too bad that's all in your head. You'll never be able to live up to that, you housewife."

Mrs. Potato Head's pupils shrunk out of offence and steaming anger, boiling to it's absolute limit. She felt it snap within her. The alien had pushed it too far, it was out of her power to stop, now. Enough was enough, and Mrs. Potato Head had it.

"I'M NOT A HOUSEWIFE!" Mrs. Potato Head lunged forward, taking a whip at Queen Martian, who jumped back. The alien swung the rod at Mrs. Potato Head, who ducked in response. The two continued to fight with their weapons.

"Woody, what do we do?" Slinky asked, as those who had followed remained on the side lines while watching in worry.

"Give it a sec, Slink." Woody said, watching the fight with focus. Mrs. Potato Head had whipped Queen Martian from the back, causing her flowing cape to wave over the alien's head, blinding her. Mrs. Potato Head pushed her down with her foot, as the mother alien took her cape off her face.

"This ends, now." Mrs. Potato Head said, staring down at her.

Queen Martian smirked. "Not yet." She reached for her metal rod, before knocking Mrs. Potato Head over and pinning her down with it. Her three icy blue eyes stared harshly into Mrs. Potato Head's challenging ones.

"Give up?" Queen Martian spat.

"HI-YA!" The combat call came from behind the two of them. Hamm came running in, body checking Queen Martian off of Mrs. Potato Head. The female spud sat up, looking at the piggy bank with surprise.

"Hamm..." she emitted, putting her arm back on. "Thank you."

Hamm smiled, while helping her up. "I made a promise to your husband to have his back. That means I have yours, too."

Mrs. Potato Head smiled, before they both looked at Queen Martian. The others approached, as well. Queen Martian got up, groaning.

"What kind of monstrous plastic is that swine made of?" The mother alien judged, clutching her head.

"Polypropylene plastic." Hamm pointed out. "The finest, and strongest plastic in the toy industry." The mother alien gritted her teeth in anger. Woody stepped forward.

"It's over." The cowboy said, as Slinky and Bullseye both lowered their stances and growled at the alien.

"Ha." Queen Martian said. "Not yet, cowboy."

Jessie crossed her arms. "What're you talking about, you no good-"

"Always come to battle with a plan b, cowgirl." Queen Martian said, proceeding to pull a large can out of a nearby bush. She tugged at a tub of gasoline with it's lid open. Queen Martian pulled out a match, and lit it with a flick of one motion.

The toys froze. The sudden memory of a familiar incinerator from not that long ago had ran through their minds like it just had happen.

"That's it." Queen Martian pestered. "Any sudden movies, and I let a rip. We'll all be done for. Even if I have to do it with my alien boys and henchman going down, too." The toys looked at the alien in awe and disgust.

"I can't believe you would kill innocent lil' critters, cause you can't have 'em for yourself." Jessie said in disbelief.

"Ideally." Queen Martian leaned forward with the match. "If I can't have them, then no one can."

"How could you? You have no soul." Mrs. Potato Head spat. "You don't know how to be a parent."

Queen Martian squinted her eyes hostilely at the spud. "And you do?"

Mrs. Potato Head crossed her arms. "You keep saying it's what you want. What 'belongs' to you, what's rightfully your's. Did you ever stop think what those kids really need?"

"Their children, they need order and discipline. And more importantly, to know where they came from and how it will always matter." Queen Martian said, dully.

"You're selfish and cold." Mrs. Potato Head accused.

"Excuse me?"

"You have no idea what it means to be a mother." Mrs. Potato Head continued. "It doesn't matter where they come from. What matters is where they find comfort in a home, where they choose to stay, and with whom. And only I can provide them with what's really neccessary."

"And what exactly is that, you little rotten spud?"

"Love." Mrs. Potato Head said. "Something you'll never feel in your sad, empty life." The spud stared at her harshly, as Queen Martian gripped the lit match in anger.

Buzz nodded, and stepped forward. "I'm afraid you've messed with the wrong family."

"NO!" Queen Martian bellowed. Her eyes were wide and crazy, gripping the match. The toys stared on in fear. "It's been over a decade that I have spent in that vile pizza delivery truck! I finally found them. I can't wait another second! I've been trying to swipe them all week! If I can't have them now, this ends. And you're all coming with me!"

Queen Martian raised the match to toss it in, the toys all ready to bolt even if there wasn't much of a chance. Before she could toss it though, a shooting beam of water pounded against the mother alien, putting the match out and leaving her soaking wet and wide eyed.

The toys were in shock, all slowly looking to the left at where the beam of water came from. Pizza Man stood with the hose, and the LGMs helped hoist it as well.

"Nice shot, boys." Pizza Man said, targeting the hose at Queen Martian while smiling. "You three would be good in the military."

Woody was in awe, as were the others. "Pizza Man?"

The pizza toy shrugged, while dropping the hose. "That's my name, don't wear it out."

"What are you doing?" Mrs. Potato Head asked. He looked at her, reassuringly.

"The right thing." He said. Mrs. Potato Head smiled.

"Mommyyy." The LGMs said, running over to their mother.

"Oh, my babies..." Mrs. Potato Head crouched and gave them a hug.

"Don't ever leave again, mommy." Squirt's small voice spoke in the hug.

Mrs. Potato Head smiled and closed her eyes. "I won't, I promise."

Queen Martian coughed from the amount of water that hit her, dropping the burnt out match. Her cape sagged to the floor, the fabric heavy from the amount of soaked up water. "You traitor." She eyed Pizza Man. "You're no loyal subject of mine."

"Well, hallelujah." Pizza Man mumbled. Hamm and Slinky exchanged a look while snickering.

"So, that's all it is." Queen Martian hissed at her Pizza Man. "Years alone together, only for you to betray me?"

"I spent years brewing in my own self-hatred, queenie." Pizza Man snapped back. "It's about time I do something that at least benefits another life, if not mine." The pizza toy looked towards Mrs. Potato Head. She mouthed 'thank you' while still hugging her boys, and he nodded.

Woody and Buzz each grabbed an arm of a soaked Queen Martian. "Unhand me, fools!"

Jessie put her hands on her hips. "What should we do with her?"

Mrs. Potato Head pondered for a second, still holding onto her boys. She let them go, and looked towards Hamm and Slinky. "Bring the boys back to the others, and their dad."

Slinky and Hamm exchanged a look. Hamm opened his mouth. "But, their dad-"

"Isn't anything." Mrs. Potato Head said, refusing to fear the worse about her husband. "Bring them, please."

They couldn't argue. Her tone wasn't quite a flatline, but it wasn't bouncing either. She was to the point, and determined. Putting her fear aside. Any other day, her friends would be concerned, because that wasn't really like her. But, Hamm and Slinky knew to look past it.

"Alrighty." Slinky spoke, a little quietly. The two four-legged toys brought the LGMs back the the back garden where the others remained. Mrs. Potato Head looked back at Queen Martian with a cold stare.

"Unlike you, we're not gonna sink to disastrous levels to get rid of you." Mrs. Potato Head said. "But, don't think you aren't getting what you deserve."

Queen Martian chuckled evilly while still in Woody and Buzz's grip. "Are you threatening me?"

"You bet your shiny crown, she is." Woody said.

The mother alien nodded her head, amused. "I see. The sheriff is taken a break from playing the big-shot leader, to let mommy take the wheel for a while."

"You shut your pie hole!" Jessie pointed a finger at the alien. "You don't know nothin' about her! She's a spud of respect around 'ere, we all love her, and nothing you can say will convince us otherwise! You deserve to be punished!"

Mrs. Potato Head walked closer to Queen Martian. "You almost made me lose my mind in the span of holding me hostage for one day. Mentally abusing me, trying to convince me that I don't own the right to custody of my own kids. I can't imagine what kind of mental torment you had on my boys before they came to me. You're awful."

Pizza Man stepped towards the mother alien, as well. "Your days of trying to get your way are over."

"Whatever you idiots plan to do with me, it won't work." Queen Martian said. "I'll be back. I'll always be back. Face it. The only way you could really get rid of me...is killing me."

The mother alien eyed Mrs. Potato Head. "So, who's the lucky slaughterer going to be? You? After all, you seem to have the most reason to hate me."

"Forget it." Woody said. "Don't listen to her, Mrs. Potato Head. You're not like that."

"I'm well aware, Woody." Mrs. Potato Head said. "She's knocked me too much while I was down. Trust me, that's not even touching upon the worse that comes out of her mouth."

"We can make this real easy, queenie." Pizza Man said. "Any requests, before we make the decision for you?"

A garbage truck from one house down began to pull up near the curb. No one paid attention to it, except for Queen Martian, eyeing it in the corner of her eye. She smirked evilly, with a hint of crazy in her eyes. In a way, she almost looked hopeless deep down under. Like she was hurt, and masking it with a different figure.

"Yes." Queen Martian said, her voice all of a sudden shaky. "Make sure to look out for me in another life."

Queen Martian easily slipped from Woody and Buzz's grasp, having still been wet from the hose. She dove through the opening of the white picket fence, diving herself into the pile of filled trash bags. The toys hid as a garbage man came and picked them up.

"Wait!" Woody called after the toy, ready to stop her. "It's gonna kill you-"

"Woody." Buzz said, keeping him back. "There's no use."

The toys all had to turn away in horror as the trash was thrown into the crusher of the garbage truck, and smushed. Many of them gripping onto themselves to keep from shaking in fear. As soon as they all heard the pop of a squeaker, unbearable chills passed through them. That was it.

The garbage truck proceeded to make it's way down the block. The toys refused to watch it go off, a death symbol indeed.

"That's that..." Pizza Man said. Mrs. Potato Head let out a bit of a discomforted moan, feeling sick.

Woody looked towards Mrs. Potato Head. "You put up a great fight."

The female spud looked back at him. "I wasn't actually gonna kill her."

"I know." Woody said. "But, you won. You really are a fantastic mother."

Mrs. Potato Head didn't smile, but nodded in thankfulness. "Thank you, Wo-"

"Guys." Someone said, coming up to them. Hamm had returned. "Potato Head."

The toys were back in motion, remembering the situation. Mrs. Potato Head was mostly aware all of a sudden. "Oh, no..."

"Where's the queen?"

"She-" Buzz wanted to explain to the piggy bank, but Jessie stopped him.

"We'll tell y'all later, let's go." The toys all ran back to the back garden, Mrs. Potato Head feeling her head burn.

 _Please, please, be okay..._

* * *

As soon as the toys met up with the rest of them in the back garden, they came to a screeching halt. Mrs. Potato Head was in the front and looking at the rest of her friends, out of breath. They looked at her, as though they had been moping. She felt her hopes drop.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Buttercup pointed an accusing hoof at Pizza Man, as many scowled at him.

Woody put up his hands in reassurance. "It's okay, he's fine."

"He's changed, right Mrs. P?" Jessie said, trying to convince them. However, it was clear she wasn't listening to anything they were saying, and just stared forward.

The toys made an opening, to show her three little aliens hovering around the grey lump that was her husband. Their little eyes filled with the utmost pain, as they looked from the pile of wax to their mother.

"Mommy?" Champ asked. Mrs. Potato Head hesitantly made her way over to the pile of wax. She stood with her boys over the lump, gently putting her hand on the hardened grey substance.

"Is...is he...?" Mrs. Potato Head could barely say it. It was caught in her mouth and only caused her pain.

Dolly clutched her arms close to her chest. "He-he isn't...hasn't been..."

"Moving." Pricklepants finished for the rag doll who couldn't finish her sentence out of grief. The toys inched in a little closer, as Mrs. Potato Head lost feeling in her feet and feel near the lump. A few chipped pieces of the wax falling into her open palms that were slumped on the ground.

"Oh, darling..." Mrs. Potato Head said. "No. Please..."

Silence descended over all the toys, written with a mournful sorrow. The only thing to be heard was the gentle autumn breeze and Mrs. Potato Head's quiet pleads to her husband.

Mrs. Potato Head uttered a shaky breath. "Please, darling..." The lump was unmoving. Mrs. Potato Head's eyes pleaded for some sort of sign of recognition. "The spud I knew always would up a fight when he needed to. It's what I've grown to love about you..."

There was no response. It was lifeless. Mrs. Potato Head shook her head, squinting her eyes in order to prevent herself from crying. "I need you, darling. Y-you can't.."

Squirt rested his head on the lump of wax.

"I saved our boys." Mrs. Potato Head pointed out. "Just like we had promised. We did it, okay? You did good. I-I'm not done with you...I never will be."

The female spud's hand remained on the lump. It shook, as she closed into a fist to prevent it from doing so. "This doesn't end here. Not when we just started raising these kids together, instead of by myself. You've come too far, both of us had..."

She felt her body shake with a whimper, resting her arms on the lump in an exhausted sense of grief. She felt weak, empty. She put her head down, hoping she could do as much as she could to muffle out her crying.

When the aliens noticed their mother crying, Dolly and Trixie came and helped Mrs. Potato Head up and walk away for just a bit. She wanted to put up a fight and stay near her husband, but they were right. She couldn't let her boys see her this heartbroken. She remained behind the crowd of toys, while they all surrounded the wax, enduring in their own mourning.

In sadness and anger, Champ couldn't help it. He yelled in an alien flat-level voice, while slamming a small green fist against the wax. The toys all perked up when they heard a crack. A small crack formed from under Champ's slammed fist, slowly making it's away around the lump that was Mr. Potato Head's covered body. It stopped for a second, before abruptly cracking over the lump. It then grew into other branches of cracks, the wax deforming. The next thing they knew, it all had fell off like a mini avalanche of wax pieces. Mr. Potato Head sat up, coughing like a maniac. Some dried wax pieces remained on his body.

When he stopped coughing, he looked at the toys in front of him. They looked at him with wide eyes, and he gave them a weird look.

"What? You've never seen a spud covered in wax, before?" He asked, before all the toys busted into a series of smiles. The next thing Mr. Potato Head knew, the LGMs bouldered him into a hug.

"Daddyyy." They said, full of relief. Mr. Potato Head hugged them.

"Boys." He said, relaxing. He popped his eyes wide open in realization, and pulled back from the hug. "Wait, where's your mother?"

The toys noticed that Dolly and Trixie still had Mrs. Potato Head behind the group, who hadn't noticed Mr. Potato Head's sudden rising at all. Their backs were turned, trying to comfort her. As soon as Mr. Potato head saw his wife, not tied up in shoe laces at all, he sprang to his feet and ran to her.

Dolly and Trixie both noticed, and quickly scurried out of the way for the incoming spud. Mrs. Potato Head turned around, and widened her eyes in shock before an incoming happy spud picked her up and spun her around. He planted her back on the ground, before holding her close.

"Y-you're okay." Mrs. Potato Head said, all of it happening quicker than she could process. When she realized how real it actually was, Mrs. Potato Head found herself planting kisses all over the side of her husband's face.

"Oh, my dear." Mr. Potato Head breathed, his voice prickling in her ear. "Are you alright...?" Mrs. Potato Head practically melted in her husband's arms at his simplistic words, that had all of the meaning in the world.

The female spud pulled away just a bit to look at him, but still remained in their embrace. "I told you I'd see you later." She said at a normal voice level, her husband smiling.

"And she meant it." Woody said, approaching.

Mr. Potato Head arched an eyebrow. "What d'ya mean?"

"You should've seen her." Hamm said about Mrs. Potato Head. "A real fighter."

"She fought that alien, and took her down." Slinky said, wagging his tail.

"She's a hero." Buzz smiled. Mr. Potato Head looked at his wife, who smiled shyly. He still held on to her, tightly.

"Really?" Mr. Potato Head asked through a grin.

Mrs. Potato Head shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."

"You guess? You were the first person to set her in her place, besides me." Pizza Man said, stepping out of the crowd of toys. Mr. Potato Head looked at him, his eyes widening in shock. He shoved his wife behind him in protection.

"You." Mr. Potato Head said through gritted teeth. "Kidnap my wife, try to steal our kids, and pour wax on me, will you?!" Mr. Potato Head clenched his fists in preparation.

Pizza Man put up two defensive hands. "Whoa, whoa, I've changed!"

"Sweetheart, it's okay." Mrs. Potato Head came out from behind him, holding him back. "He helped stop her."

The squeaking came from behind the rest of the toys, the LGMs squeezing their way through. They stood by Pizza Man.

"He saved their lives." Brainy said, pointing towards the toys who had fought against Queen Martian. Those few toys nodded, but didn't say what the LGMs were expecting. The aliens looked at them, waiting.

Mrs. Potato Head smirked. "I believe that's your line."

Woody sighed in annoyance. "And...we are eternally grateful."

Pizza Man and Mr. Potato Head both rolled their eyes. Mrs. Potato Head giggled behind her husband's shoulder. Her husband looked at her, smiling. He then noticed that she still had only one ear in.

"Oh." Mr. Potato Head reached into his back compartment, and pulled out her left ear. "I think this belongs to you, hero."

Mrs. Potato Head smiled, before taking her ear and putting it back on. Though she was happy, her eyes didn't seem very focused on her husband all of a sudden. They were more in a daze. She looked at her husband with a tired expression.

Mr. Potato Head look at her with concern. "Dear?"

Mrs. Potato Head swayed a bit, before falling unconscious in her husband's arms.

"Holy cow, Honey?" Mr. Potato Head asked in panic, holding her close.

"She's exhausted." Buzz assured. "Overwhelmed. She's probably drained of energy from her kidnap and the fight."

Mr. Potato Head looked at Pizza Man, still holding his unconscious wife. "What did that alien freak do to her? Did you even _try_ stopping her?"

"No, and I should have." Pizza Man said. "I owe you all an apology. I should've changed from the beginning. I guess it just took me years in a delivery truck, and a certain spud to convince me to change."

Squirt stepped up. "All right, but I've got my eyes on you." The alien spoke, pointing a finger in warning.

Mr. Potato Head smiled at his son. "That's my boy."

"So, what're you gonna do?" Trixie asked the toy pizza.

Pizza Man shrugged. "For once in my life, I don't know."

"We'll help you figure it out." Woody assured. The cowboy looked towards Mrs. Potato Head. "Come on, let's get her inside."

Mr. Potato Head nodded and picked up his wife. The LGMs and many of the other toys followed them inside.

"Wait." Jessie said, keeping Buzz behind. The two looked at the pile of wax, and the pot. "What about the wax, and the wagon, an' everything? Bonnie's parents are gonna notice."

"It'll take too long for us to clean up, Jessie." Buzz said, picking up some crumbled wax and letting it fall from his palm. "Besides, it's not like they can blame their daughter's toys."

Jessie shook her head. "Just when one thing ends, there's always another problem with this group."

Buzz smiled, taking her hand. "We'll figure it out, cowgirl."

 **To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

Bonnie sat on the floor of her bedroom with her toys. However, it wasn't a lively playtime at all. Both the little girl and her toys listened carefully to the activity that was happening down the hallway of the house.

They couldn't clean up the mess in time, there was no way. All they could do was wait for Bonnie and her parents to get home and see how they would react.

Unsurprised, but concerned by the toys, Bonnie's parents called the police after finding everything disorientated all over their properly. If it wasn't the pot, or giant pile of dried wax, it was Bonnie's red wagon, or the can of gasoline. All of which were things they swear they left in a locked garage.

The police officers' voices could be heard talking to her parents. Bonnie kept Woody and Jessie in her arms while trying to activate into a playtime scenario. But, she couldn't help but listen. Neither could any of the toys.

The voices became stronger when they got closer to Bonnie's room. Mrs. Anderson looked at her daughter.

"Bonnie? They just want to look around your room a bit, okay?"

The little girl shyly nodded, before putting her toys down and going to stand behind her mom. Two officers began to around the room.

"I don't think anyone got inside the house, chief." One of them said, trying not to step on the girl's scattered toys.

"Who on earth would break into the garage, scatter stuff around the lawn, and leave?" Mrs. Anderson asked, as her husband came and stepped into the doorway, as well.

"Probably just some kids, ma'am." The chief officer said, as she took another good look around the room. She stopped when she noticed something. "Hold on."

The officer put on white gloves to prevent finger smudges, before reaching to pick up Mr. Potato Head. She brought him up to the light, noticing the specks of dried wax pieces on him.

"What is it?" The other officer asked.

"There's some wax smudges on this plastic like the pile outside." She responded, observing Mr. Potato Head. "Maybe they did get into the house."

"Chief." Another officer said, entering the room. "We found something that doesn't belong in the garage."

The light reflecting in the toys eyes flickered at the sight of the third officer holding Pizza Man in his hand, who had remained outside for the time being. The chief took hold of it and looked towards Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. "Does this belong to the household?"

"Not that I know of." Mr. Anderson said. He looked towards his daughter. "Is that your toy, Bonnie?"

The little girl shook her head, also unfamiliar of the rubber pizza toy.

"We're gonna need them for evidence." The other said and the chief nodding in response. The toys tensed, watching the officer walk to the doorway with Mr. Potato Head and Pizza Man in hand.

Bonnie stepped out from behind her mother. "My Mr. Potato Head...?" She asked in a small voice.

The chief officer kneeled down. "Not forever, sweetie. Just for two days and then we'll bring him back, okay?"

Bonnie nodded, and the chief officer stood up to talk to her parents. "We're gonna need a fingerprint of your daughter's, or anyone else who might have touched this toy in the last fifteen days or so, so we can identify any unfamiliar finger smudges."

"Of course." Mr. Anderson said, leading the officers back to the front of the house. Mrs. Anderson and Bonnie followed. As soon as they were gone, all the toys came to life.

"I'd like to see spud head last an hour in the slammer." Hamm laughed, Buttercup laughing in agreement.

"Oh, relax." Jessie said. "Him and Pizza Man are going for investigation."

"I'd like to see him last that, too."

Mrs. Potato Head stepped forward, looking in the direction of the doorway where the officer had took her husband. She gripped her hands together out of nervousness.

"Don't worry." Woody came up behind her, reading her tension. "You heard the police, they'll bring them back in two days." Mrs. Potato Head nodded in agreement, but remained silent. Woody continued to look at her with uncertainty.

"Feeling any better after your episode?" The cowboy asked, referencing her fainting from a few hours before.

Mrs. Potato Head shrugged. "I'm a little lightheaded. It's just...a lot of stuff running through my head."

Dolly and Slinky came up to the two, trying to lift the spud's spirit. "Would a game of checkers make you feel any better?" The rag doll asked, hopefully.

"No thanks, Dolly. I...I think I'll just lay down for a bit." Mrs. Potato Head spoke in a melancholy tone.

Woody motioned towards the bed. "The bed is free, if you need it."

"Thank you." She said honestly, but no heart was put into it. The spud walked away, and the three toys watched the female spud go off.

"You think it's because the police took her husband?" Dolly asked.

Woody shook his head. "No. It's Queen Martian."

Slinky shifted his paws on the floor, uncomfortably. "But, I thought she was..." the dog didn't want to say it.

"I know, she is." Woody said. "But, whatever she said to Mrs. Potato Head while she was captured, is torturing her."

"How could you tell?"

"When's the last time she's been this uncomfortable around her friends?" Woody asked.

Dolly crosse her arms, sadly. "I guess you're right..."

* * *

A detective beamed a flashlight onto Mr. Potato Head, blinding him. But, he didn't flinch, prompting to stay in his lifeless mode. He laid down on what felt like a metal table with Pizza Man laying next to him. They were in a grey, dull investigation room with two security cameras in the high corners. Pizza Man sat in a plastic evidence bag labeled 'Exhibit E'. The detective lifted the spud in his gloved hands, before using a magnifying glass to get a better look at any smudges. Mr. Potato Head had spent years in playtime, but has never felt such human concentration put towards him. In a way, it was pretty creepy as the man did a full inspection of him.

"A bunch of idiotic kids, no doubt." Another detective said, standing behind the one who sat at his table. He took a sip of his coffee. "Wanting the attention."

"Don't be so ignorant, Rick." The first said, looking through the magnifying glass. "We've got two days of investigating this stuff before returning it back to the folks' house."

"Does it all belong to them?"

"Eh, everything except that Pizza Planet toy." The detective said, motioning to Pizza Man while still keeping focus on Mr. Potato Head. "As long as the team agrees, I'll probably just donate it."

"What, it has no evidence?"

The first detective handed a clipboard do Rick. "Take a look. That thing seems like it hasn't been touched by human hands in years."

"The heck?" Rick said, looking through the profile of Exhibit E. "The invaders had to have been wearing gloves, then."

"We're gonna get more information by tomorrow." The first said, squinting through the magnifying glass at Mr. Potato Head. The man took a quick glance at the Anderson's fingerprint profiles. "I don't see any unfamiliar finger prints. These wax pieces look accidental, mostly." He put the magnifying glass down. Mr. Potato Head's lifeless stare watched as the detective wrote something down in a profile, before putting Mr. Potato Head in a plastic evidence bag labeled 'Exhibit D.'

"Let's get those notes to the chief." The first detective said, getting up from the table. He took his gloves off as Rick picked up the documents. "We'll let her know it's as much as we can come up with until any further info is found."

"The only thing that doesn't really match up is the pizza toy, I guess." Rick said, looking through the papers.

"You've got that right."

"Gonna make it your new office souvenir I suppose?" Rick chuckled.

The first detective laughed as well. "No I'll probably just donate-" He looked at Pizza Man for a second. "Actually, my daughter loves Pizza Planet. I'm sure she'd like it."

"Okay, Father of the Year, let's get cracking." Rick said, leaving the room. His partner followed him behind. They left the room, leaving Mr. Potato Head and Pizza Man in their evidence bags on the table.

Mr. Potato Head already felt exhausted with annoyance, knowing he'd have to stay in the evidence bag all night with the security cameras watching. Great. So much celebration for the grand defeat of Queen Martian.

"Psst." The voice from his left whispered. "Pssssst."

Mr. Potato Head would've rolled his eyes, but couldn't risk anything with the cameras.

"If we don't move any body parts and talk very subtly, the cameras won't pick it up. They're not close enough to see every detail." Pizza Man explained to Mr. Potato Head. The spud sighed with annoyance, when he knew it was safe to do so.

"Fine." Mr. Potato Head spat. "I can't believe I'm being used as evidence. I'm a toy, not a crime scene."

"Oh relax, spud head. You'll be home in a couple of days."

"You sound like Hamm..."

"Listen, you're not the only one stuck in a plastic bag."

"Give me a break. You've lived in a delivery truck for the past eleven years, Pizza Boy."

"Pizza MAN."

"Whatever."

It was a few seconds of silence, before the pizza toy continued. "Are you this bitter with most toys, or am I just lucky?"

Mr. Potato Head scoffed. "Most. But, I'm extra to those who deserve it."

The male spud waited for an answer, but none came. It was silent again among the investigation room.

"Did I lose ya, there?" Mr. Potato Head asked.

"No." Pizza Man said. "You're just right, that's all. I guess I do deserve it."

Mr. Potato Head rolled his eyes when hearing Pizza Man's guiltiness in his voice. "Sorry if I got under your crust, but I've got friends back home waiting for me. My kids, and my wife who fainted no more than a few hours ago."

"Relax, she's safe. Miss queenie is gone, now."

"I don't care. Whatever that crowned nut did to her, has her freaked." Mr. Potato Head said.

Mr. Potato Head heard Pizza Man sigh. The spud felt prompted to look at him, but couldn't move too much that the cameras would pick it up. "Listen, I know you did some bad stuff-"

"Potato Head, you don't need be all sappy with me. I'm fine."

"I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for my wife."

Pizza Man had a deadpan look on his face, knowing that was the limit he was offered. "Okay."

"I'm not saying I forgive you for everything you did. My wife and kids are more forgiving than I'll ever be. But, I appreciate what you did to help in the end."

"I can live with that." The Pizza Planet toy responded. Mr. Potato Head could tell Pizza Man had said it through a smile. The spud thought about his family for a moment, thinking what had to have surpassed while he was under the pile of wax. A lot, probably. And an important question still remained.

"What happened to Queen Martian?" Mr. Potato Head blurted out. The room was quiet, as though he was alone. But, he wasn't. Pizza Man obviously was urging himself to tell, but not willingly. He couldn't avoid it though, knowing Mr. Potato Head was waiting.

It felt like a long few minutes before he answered. "Just know your wife had nothing to do with it. She may have defeated her, but this was all self-guided by Queen Martian."

"Okay."

Pizza Man sighed, again. "There was a garbage truck. She was in your cowboy and space ranger friends' grasp, until she slipped away and threw herself into the trash."

"Oh, geez..."

"The garbage guy threw it into the back. It was all crushed, including her."

"Holy cow..." Mr. Potato Head groaned in distress. It was silent again, with sheer awkwardness. The spud didn't have much of a response. Was he suppose to apologize? Feel disgusted? Praise that she was dead? There was no response to that kind of situation.

"She deserved to die." Pizza Man said.

Mr. Potato Head closed his eyes, overwhelmed. "You can't say that."

"I've spent years with her, of all people I can." Pizza Man said in aggravation. "She was cold, didn't like anything but herself. She may have acted like it, but she didn't know what was best of her. That alien was lost in a void she could never fill, that she thought she could fill with your alien kids. Just because control over them gave her a sense of power."

Mr. Potato Head sighed. "Yeah, okay. I would probably say the same thing. At least not around the missus."

"Listen, about your wife. You can't tell her I said any of that."

"Why?"

"She has too good of a heart." Pizza Man said. "She would never kill even her worst of enemies. She's suffered the most out of all this."

"Okay, pepperoni boy." Mr. Potato Head said. "I want a real answer. What did that martian monster do to her?"

"It wasn't any physical kind of violence." Pizza Man said. "I should've stopped it, I'm so-"

"Just tell me."

"It was a lot of...emotional abuse." Pizza Man explained. "I've seen her do it before with your kids. She finds out a weakness within a matter of seconds and does all she can to get into your head. She just kept knocking at your wife, until she was completely down, one step away from believing her."

"Believing what?"

"All the awful stuff she said about her." Pizza Man said. "Being nothing but a housewife, not being worthy enough for anything, not deserving you or your boys. It's all simplistic, but she let it brew inside your wife's mind until she was drained of hope. I know she put up a real fight, but not too long before that she was in nothing but a deep depression."

Mr. Potato Head mentally slapped himself. They should've gone to find her earlier, to keep her from enduring in what was truly a painful trauma for her. Everything, from being called a housewife, almost losing her kids, being kidnapped, thinking that he had died from the wax, witnessing Queen Martian's death. All of it.

"I put a stop to it a couple of times. Your wife could've suffered a lot worse." Pizza Man said. "If that helps ease it just a bit."

After Pizza Man had tried to explain the rights of the situation, something else remained in the back of Mr. Potato Head's mind. This stranger from Pizza Planet had spent years with an evil, selfish queen. He probably could've left that truck whenever he wanted, but chose not to. All because the spud believed that the pizza toy was more lost inside than he conveyed himself to be. Mr. Potato Head knew that feeling all too well. But, Pizza Man chose to listen to Queen Martian for years, he wasn't forced. Something pried him to change. It wasn't a little push of what was right, this was a lot bigger. Something way more convincing. Something standing in front of everyone that had been obvious as to why Pizza Man had really changed. Instead of being jealous, Mr. Potato Head just looked at it as a simple truth.

"You love her, don't you?" Mr. Potato Head asked about his wife.

The spud could sense that Pizza Man had stiffened in shock, fear, and culpability. All of a sudden feeling like a target under the spud's question. Mr. Potato Head could hear him stutter, looking for an explanation.

"Look, before you pound my face in-"

"I'm asking if you love her."

There was a long stretch of silence. "I do."

There it was. The spud had to fight every single inch of himself to not have an outburst. Not after everything that has happened. Mr. Potato Head pressed his lips together firmly, determined not to lose his cool for once in his life. You could cut the tension with a knife, Pizza Man was obviously waiting for the shouting to happen. The spud always knew he had only became a jealous spud after he had met his wife. Marrying a beautiful, kind-hearted woman like her was wonderful, but also threatening for him since she tended to attract many lonely male toys. He had lost their cool against all of them, but knew he couldn't with Pizza Man. It would just be wrong at this moment.

"Listen. I may not be able to ever get rid of my feelings," Pizza Man began. "But, it's not like it'll ever be a problem."

"What?" Mr. Potato Head urged to not yell.

"You heard the detective." Pizza Man said about the investigators. "When this is all over, you're going home. I'm probably gonna be given to his daughter. That's exactly what I need, a new beginning. Something that can just take me away from all of this, and just let go of the past."

Mr. Potato Head stayed silent.

"You're the last toy of Bonnie's that I'm ever gonna talk to." Pizza Man said. "If it's gonna be you, just let me get this out before we never see each other again. I may always love her, but it'll never be anything else."

"Why do you love her?"

Pizza Man groaned in frustration. "Because...she's the first person to convince me that I'm worth something."

Mr. Potato Head relaxed a bit at that reasoning. "Me too..."

"Huh?"

"I love her for that same reason. I guess...we're more similar than I thought."

Pizza Man calmed down just a bit more. "Just know that you're really, really lucky. Please don't ever take her for granted."

"I would never." Mr. Potato Head said. "I never have, and never will. I may have with my boys when I first met them, but that's the thing I regret the most."

"Really?"

"Listen up, pepperoni." Mr. Potato Head said. "My wife and kids chose me out of all the people they could've chosen. They chose to love me. If that's the case, I'll spend the rest of my life giving them all I can."

Pizza Man smiled, though Mr. Potato Head couldn't see it. "You're a good toy, spud."

"Yeah...you too." Mr. Potato Head admitted. "And if I have to be the one who says this, I guess I will."

"What?"

Mr. Potato Head sighed, hating to get mushy. "I think you do need a new beginning. You're just as messed up as I am, and getting whatever is gonna come to you like I got with my wife and kids is gonna make the difference, I swear."

Pizza Man shrugged. "With a kid who owns me, maybe?"

"Well, that's all I really had with Andy before my wife came." Mr. Potato Head said. "I may have not been his favourite, but I was his toy. Even someone as messed up as I am knows to care for their owner."

Pizza Man opened his mouth to say something else, before hearing footsteps approaching the room.

"They're coming back."

"Good luck, you weirdo." Mr. Potato Head said. The spud in a way felt sad that he hadn't been able to see Pizza Man through this whole conversation. The detectives entered the room right after that thought.

"Put the Potato Head toy with the rest of the evidence until tomorrow's investigation." The first detective said to Rick. "Actually, first organize those files. I'm gonna take the pizza toy, I'm sure Lucy would like it."

When the detective picked up Pizza Man in his investigation bag, Mr. Potato Head finally got a glimpse at him after their long discussion. Pizza Man was motioned over him as he was held, winking goodbye at Mr. Potato Head.

The spud smiled before going frozen, again. The other detective picked him up to put him with the rest of the evidence.

* * *

 _The three icy blue eyes stared at her. Mrs. Potato Head couldn't look away. It was like she was staring right into death. Sending her uncomfortable, and painful chills all over her. She heard nothing but it. Saw nothing but it. Felt nothing but it._

 _"You're worthless." It spoke. "You'll never be worthy of them. Only I can take care of them."_

 _"No..."_

 _"You're a housewife."_

 _"No, you don't scare me anymore..."_

 _"You're nothing."_

 _She blocked her ears. "You're gone, now! I won't listen to you!"_

 _"WORTHLESS! WORTHLESS! WORTHLESS!"_

Mrs. Potato Head woke up with a gasp. Regaining feeling, and breathing in large amounts of air. Her vision regained, looking around where she was. It was nighttime, everyone was asleep. The spud remained under the bed to sleep that night, with her kids near her to comfort each other after everything. Slinky slept in the corner of under the bed too, this usually being the spot he would. But, he didn't mind the company at all.

Mrs. Potato head looked to her side at her sleeping kids. They all slept peacefully after Mrs. Potato Head put them to sleep with a story, and assuring them that their dad would be back soon. That everything was okay.

But, it wasn't. At least not with her.

She felt her torture still within her. She didn't understand, it's suppose to be gone. She's suppose to be happy. Her kids are named, and she doesn't have to ever worry about that Queen Martian ever again. But, she couldn't help but feel heavy. Almost like she was haunted. It was unavoidable, and following her everywhere. When she wasn't distracted with her friends, she was left alone to be with her pain. She had tried to rest it off when she got that chance, but she only brewed in it further or had nightmares.

It followed her like a shadow. Attached to her.

Mrs. Potato Head inched away from her boys. She curled up against the corner, and pulled her feet closer to her in a huddle. She let herself cry, quietly. Feeling nothing but pain, and confusion. She was tired, but couldn't sleep. She was scared, but couldn't cry for help. The female spud was trapped in her own suffering.

"Why are you still here?" Mrs. Potato Head whispered. "You're suppose to be gone..."

There was no response of course, but it was almost as though the wind mocked her even more. Mrs. Potato head pulled her feet even closer, continuing to cry. Thank goodness her kids weren't awake to see this, because she didn't think she'd be able to get it under control. It was like one half of her was battling against this issue, but also being the reason that was causing her pain. The other half of her was just a sad little spud. All of it was shadowed by something terrifying she thought was no longer a problem.

Mrs. Potato Head shakily lifted a hand to rub her eye. She wept, fighting all the strength she had left to be quiet for her kids sake, and her husband who was off in some investigation until they returned him home. But, she was convinced that even he couldn't help her with this situation. No one could.

"Leave me alone..." Mrs. Potato Head spoke to what caused her agony. "You have no power over me..."

But, it did. Which is what hurt her even more. Maybe she really was worthless, because she couldn't even fight her own thoughts.

Mrs. Potato Head laid back down, before crying herself back to sleep.

 **To be continued...**


	9. Chapter 9

After a long weekend, Monday had finally come. Mr. Potato Head couldn't believe he had missed a whole weekend worth of playtime after a stressful, traumatic week. Worse than that, he had left his wife and kids to brew in the aftermath of all it. But, there couldn't be too much he had missed. After all, Queen Martian was gone now, and Pizza Man had found a new home with the detective's daughter. Everything was falling back into place.

Bonnie sat on the floor of her room, zipping up her backpack for daycare.

"Bonnie, let's go." Mrs. Anderson said, coming to stand in her doorway. The little girl swung her backpack over her shoulder.

"Who was at the door?" Bonnie asked in an innocent voice.

Her mother smiled. "A delivery, for you." The woman said, pulling something out from behind her back. Mr. Potato Head was held in her grip. The little girl smiled, taking the spud from her hands.

"Yay! We have a survivor from the jailhouse!"

Her mom chuckled. "Okay, you can wait until after daycare. It's time to go, sweetie."

"Aw." Bonnie said in disappointment. She put down Mr. Potato Head before going with her mom. "Bye toys!"

They walked down the hall, the toys waiting. As soon as the door was closed and locked, the toys came to life. Mr. Potato Head sighed, relieved to be back in the room and not in a cold, evidence room that was across town. He looked towards his friends.

"I'm back." The spud said, unwillingly expecting some sort of happy greeting from his friends. He arched an eyebrow, watching the rest of the toys gather in the middle to make a huddle. Heavy whispering was spoke among them, and Mrs. Potato Head was nowhere to be seen.

Mr. Potato Head approached the huddle, hearing the whispers.

"I'm not telling him."

"No way am I."

"Guys, don't be ridiculous."

"Hello?" Mr. Potato Head interrupted, trying to get their attention. Many hesitated, before they turned around to look at him. The spud almost retreated at the unexpected looks of concern that was on all their faces.

"Hey, um." The cowboy played with his scarf, nervously. "Welcome back."

Mr. Potato Head's eyelids lowered, unimpressed. "What the heck is going on? Where's my wife?"

"Where's Pizza Man?"

"I asked you first."

The toys exchanged some uncomfortable looks.

"Potato Head." Buzz said. "She hasn't said a word, all weekend."

Mr. Potato Head's unimpressed expression was washed away with concern. Mrs. Potato Head not saying anything? That certainly doesn't add up, at all.

"Whataya mean she hasn't-"

"We mean, as soon as Bonnie leaves, she goes off to be alone. When Bonnie comes back, she goes where she needs to be." Buzz explained. "But, that's it."

"She's usually under the bed, or in the closet." Dolly added.

"But she won't say nuthin' to us." Slinky finished.

"No one? Not even the boys?" Mr. Potato Head asked, when the LGMs came up to to greet their father home. However, their eyes were filled with concern, also. It reminded him of how worried they looked when Queen Martian and Pizza Man had originally arrived.

"She read us a bedtime story." Squirt said.

"Mommy seemed sad." Brainy added.

Mr. Potato Head looked back at his friends. "Where is she, now?"

"The closet." Dolly pointed. "She's been in there all morning."

Mr. Potato Head began to make his way to the closet.

"Potato Head?" Woody asked. The spud turned around. "If you're gonna get her to talk, can you at least ask her to hide when it's safe? It shouldn't be when Bonnie's around."

The cowboy's moment of concern of risking getting caught over Mrs. Potato Head sent a sudden wave of anger through Mr. Potato Head. He clenched his fists, but didn't snap. Instead of saying anything, he turned quickly and kept walking. The toys went to occupy themselves, but unwillingly. How could they, when something just wasn't right?

Mr. Potato Head stopped at the closet door. The male spud sighed, before knocking.

"Honey?" Mr. Potato Head asked. He knocked, again. "It's me, I'm home."

There was no response. The spud shook his head, before knocking a little harder. "Come on, you know you can talk to me."

Mr. Potato Head froze when he heard a discomforted moan coming from inside the closet. "I'm coming in." He warned, quickly making his way into the closet in response to his wife's painful noise.

Mr. Potato Head shifted the closet door open, his eyes going wide at the scene before him. All the stuff from Bonnie's lowest shelf had been knocked off, clearly by Mrs. Potato Head, since it was her height. Towels, extra blankets, and scattered puzzle pieces. In the middle of all of it, Mrs. Potato Head sat in the middle. She rocked back and forth, while continuing to mumble something in pain.

"H-honey?" Mr. Potato Head asked, somewhat scared. His wife kept her face buried in her feet. In a startling motion, she lifted her face and Mr. Potato Head nearly fumbled back in terror. Her eyes were shut as she moaned, uttering her pain.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Mrs. Potato Head screeched at her husband, to be heard among the entire room. Mr. Potato Head practically flew himself over to his wife, grabbing her by her shoulders.

"Honey, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Mr. Potato Head yelled, shaking her. The toys had all turned their gaze to the activity that was coming from the closet, and began to run over quickly. As soon as they peeked in, they were in horror as well when seeing Mrs. Potato Head in the state she was in.

"Honey! Can you hear me!?" Mr. Potato Head continued to shout. Mrs. Potato Head still trembled in a state of attack, as her husband shook her rapidly. She continued to mumble and groan things no one could understand.

"Do something!" Jessie panicked.

"What d'ya think I'm doing!?" Mr. Potato Head shouted at the cowgirl over his shoulder, not breaking his gaze from Mrs. Potato Head.

"You need to slap her!" Hamm insisted. That allowed the spud the look away from his wife.

"Are you crazy?!"

"Do it!"

Mr. Potato Head looked back at his wife, who still trembled and moaned, her eyes shut tight. It sent the utmost chills down Mr. Potato Head's back. Never, ever in all his years of marriage would he think this would ever be something he would do. But, he had no choice, if this is how he'd have to save her.

Mr. Potato Head shut his eyes, before lifting a shaky hand and hitting her in the face. As soon as he did, the mumbling stopped. He inched his eyes open to look at his wife. No longer were her eyes shut, and were open, normal and very tired. She swayed a bit, no longer moaning.

The female spud's glossy eyes looked at her husband, gaining recognition. "D-darling...I'm sorry..."

"Sweetheart..." Mr. Potato Head brought her into a hug, wanting to be the one to apologize. She buried her face into his lap as she cried. Mr. Potato Head practically wanted to cry with her, but needed to stay strong for her sake. She kept her face buried in his lap, as he leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Dolly, Slinky, get a warm towel from the dryer. Mrs. Anderson did laundry last night." Woody instructed, before the rag doll and slinky dog ran off. The cowboy looked towards the married couple. "Come on, she can lay down on the bed."

Mr. Potato Head used all his effort to help his wife up to her feet, as many of the toys began to clean up the mess that was made in the closet. Woody followed behind. The spud helped her with every step towards the bed, gripping onto her like he hadn't seen her in years.

She mumbled something under her breath, fear striking through Mr. Potato Head that maybe she was having another episode. "Dear?"

"It's like she's making fun of me..." Mrs. Potato Head said through her crying.

"Who?"

"You know who." She breathed. "She's dead, but she's still in my head..."

Mr. Potato Head looked from his wife to Woody, who also seemed incredibly bewildered and terrified for such a strong leader. Woody had been leader for a long time, but has never endured something quite like this. No one had.

It took some effort, but Mrs. Potato Head was able to climb herself up the duvet. The other two followed, and Mr. Potato Head immediately attached his grip to her again, leading her to the pillow. She laid down, snuggling into the pillow. Her breath was shaky.

Slinky and Dolly came back with the warm towel, and climbed up the bed. They put it around Mrs. Potato Head, trying to comfort her. Woody prompted to talk to Mr. Potato Head, alone.

The cowboy and spud inched away.

"Potato Head, we had no idea." Woody explained. "We would never-"

"If Bo Peep had spent this much time alone." Mr. Potato Head spat. "I know we wouldn't have left her alone if you weren't around to help her."

The male spud's remark placed the cowboy into shock. Every toy amongst this room barely brought up Bo in front of Woody since it hurt him so much, even Mr. Potato Head. But, for what felt like the first time, Woody knew that Mr. Potato Head was right. They should have made more of an effort.

"You're right." Woody said, almost surprising Mr. Potato Head. "I'm sorry."

The spud nodded, before walking back to his wife without another word. Slinky and Dolly kept the towel around the female spud, keeping her in a group hug. Within a matter of seconds, Mrs. Potato Head had drifted off to sleep.

Though she had just endured what was beyond an anxiety attack, the fact that she looked like she slept peacefully sent a rush of relief through Mr. Potato Head.

"I think it's a good thing she's sleeping." Dolly assured.

"You think, rags?" Mr. Potato Head said.

"No, ya don't understand, Potato Head." Slinky said. "Your missus hasn't been sleeping all weekend."

Mr. Potato Head looked at his wife, who slept like she hadn't slept in years. Whatever just happened, her husband hoped that his wife sleeping signified that it was over. But then again, he didn't know for sure.

"Maybe you should check on your boys." Dolly suggested. "She's sleeping, and we'll keep an eye on her. Right, Slink?" Slinky nodded in agreement.

Mr. Potato Head was unwilling to leave his wife. But, part of him knew that Slinky and Dolly were good hearted and loyal, so they wouldn't leave his wife alone. The male spud walked away to the edge of the bed. At the bottom, he saw his three boys waiting and looking up at him. Mr. Potato Head climbed down to see them.

"Is mommy okay?" Brainy asked.

"Can us brothers see her?" Squirt hoped.

Mr. Potato Head bit his lip. Now just wasn't the best moment. Also, he knew his wife wouldn't want the boys to see her at her weakest. It was one of her greatest fears.

"Not now, boys." Mr. Potato Head said. "She just needs to rest for a bit."

"Curses." Champ said in frustration with a swing of his fist. Mr. Potato Head nodded, patting his sporty son on his head.

"I know." Mr. Potato Head said. "But, she'll be better soon. If you boys are okay, I think I'll go see her." Mr. Potato Head turned to climb up the duvet.

"Can we come?" Squirt's innocent voice asked. Mr. Potato Head let go of his grip on the duvet, sighing.

"No, Squirt." Mr. Potato Head spoke over his shoulder. "She'll be okay, but she needs to be alone for a bit."

"Pleeease?" Brainy asked.

"Brainy, no." The spud kept his back turned to his kids.

"We won't say anything." Champ insisted.

"Boys, I said no."

"Pleeease?" The LGMs all asked.

"We can climb the mystic portal to-"

"I said NO!" Mr. Potato Head turned and yelled, startling his boys. "You three never listen, like you haven't for the past eleven years!"

The LGMs stared at their father with wide eyes, more still than ever. At that moment, Mr. Potato Head's words echoed in his head. The way he had shouted sounded like the kind of Mr. Potato Head of his past he had wished to forget. The one that had ignored his boys.

"Boys, I'm sorry. I-"

The LGMs quickly bounced off, away from their dad. He reached out after them, but didn't follow, knowing how wildly he had hurt their feelings. How could he say that? Bringing up something he knew he wasn't like anymore.

Maybe he still was that same spud he wished to forget.

* * *

She had slept like she hadn't in ages. After a whole weekend of trying, but only enduring in nightmares, it was the first sleep with good thoughts. Mrs. Potato Head didn't question why. Why would she? It's the best she felt all weekend.

 _Mrs. Potato Head found herself staring at her husband while holding his hands. If his smile, bowtie, and black shoes didn't say it, she was still able to recall her own wedding. Along with the cowboy who was marrying them._

 _"Mr. Potato Head, do you take her to be your lawfully wedded wife? Do you promise to prevent her from any form of damage, to honour her differences and interests, to keep her from being replaced, until death or yard sale do you part?"_

 _"I do."_

 _Mrs. Potato Head blinked, before finding herself in a new area._

 _She still looked at her husband, waving at him from Andy's window. He marched off with the other male toys in preparation to save Woody. Before jumping down with Slinky's bottom half, he gave one last wave to his newly wed. Her insides boomed with happiness and love._

 _She blinked, again._

 _Mrs. Potato Head found herself reading to her three children on a rainy day at Andy's. The house was empty of it's owners, as the female spud and her kids warmed themselves in Molly's closet. The three of them fell asleep, as she read to them in a hushed voice._

 _She blinked, once more._

 _Mrs. Potato Head looked at her husband, hugging their boys after they had escaped the horror of the incinerator._

 _"My boys!"_

 _"Daddyyyy." They gushed. The male spud put them down, to look at his wife who stared back adoringly, but also in shock._

 _"What did you just call them...?"_

 _Her husband smiled. "Looks like our deal is settled."_

 _Mrs. Potato Head smiled back, before her husband brought her face closer to his._

Mrs. Potato Head's eyes blinked open, staring at the ceiling of Bonnie's bedroom. She still felt the warm towel around her, but it had lost a bit of it's heat. She's been asleep for a while, clearly. Slinky and Dolly were no longer there, either.

But for the first time in what felt like forever, her pain didn't occupy her mind. She thought only of what she had just dreamed of.

The female spud looked to her left, to see her husband sitting next to her. The male spud strolled through a board game catalogue, looking bored. For the first time all weekend long, Mrs. Potato Head smiled.

"Hey." She spoke, her voice quieter than she had prompted to be.

Mr. Potato Head looked at his wife. "Hey, how you feeling?"

Mrs. Potato Head sat up. Her husband reached over to get her to lay back down, but she stopped his hands. She looked at him like she had when they were first married. "Unbelievably, really good."

Mr. Potato Head nodded. "Maybe because you finally got some sleep?"

His wife shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe. But, I also think I'm not gonna be bothered anymore."

Mr. Potato Head looked at her with uncertainty, not convinced at all. "Honey, you napped for two hours. I don't think you get over something like this in that amount of time."

Mr. Potato Head pursed her lips, questionably. "Okay, maybe not. But, I certainly feel way more better than I did after that." The female spud laid back on the pillow, smiling. "I'm also certain that was the best nap, ever."

Mr. Potato Head couldn't help but smile, either. She was really starting to sound like her normal self and was making progress.

"Where are the boys?" Mrs. Potato Head asked. Mr. Potato Head's smile faded, and it didn't go unnoticed by his wife. "What?"

Mr. Potato Head tossed the book aside. "I sort of...yelled at them..."

Mrs. Potato Head sprung back up into a seated position. "What? What did you-"

"I didn't mean to."

Mrs. Potato Head didn't look impressed. "Didn't mean too? It's pretty easy not to yell if you try."

"I was panicked." Mr. Potato Head admitted. "Thinking of how you wouldn't want the boys to see you in that state, which I know you wouldn't. They really wanted to come and I kept telling them no, but...they wouldn't listen..."

"Potato Head?" Woody called from the floor.

Mr. Potato Head looked to where the call came from, and back at his wife. "Look, Woody asked me to tell you that if you're feeling up to it, that you'd go talk to everyone."

"Why?"

"I dunno, he just did."

Mrs. Potato Head sighed in frustration. "Okay, I will. But, you're gonna go find the boys and fix this, now."

"I will, I promise." Her husband assured her, getting to his feet. His wife did as well, as the male spud began to walk off. As she watched him walk to the edge of the bed, Mrs. Potato Head's dream reeled in her mind.

"Darling?" She called after him. Mr. Potato Head turned around, and his wife came and gave him a kiss on the lips. Mr. Potato Head kissed back, before she pulled away. "Welcome home." Her husband ran a loving hand up her arm, to her ear.

"Guys?" Woody called, again. The Potato Heads snapped back to reality, and proceeded to climb down. Mr. Potato Head went to go talk to his boys. Woody led Mrs. Potato Head to the centre of the room, where the rest of the toys waited. They set up a little stack of books as a bench for Mrs. Potato Head, that Woody gestured to. The female spud hesitated, before carefully sitting down.

"So, how're you feeling?" Woody asked, as all the toys looked at her.

Mrs. Potato Head put her hands in her lap. "A lot better, actually. I'm sorry if I scared any of you-"

"No, we're the ones who need to apologize." Woody said, putting up two reassuring hands.

"What do you mean?"

Jessie stepped forward. "Mrs. P, when you were hiding all weekend, we should've done more to get you to open up." Mrs. Potato Head bit her lip.

"Letting you have alone time like you asked for, clearly wasn't the right choice." Buzz said. "We had no idea what was going on in your head."

"We swear, we'll never be so ignorant, again." Woody said.

Mrs. Potato Head looked at her friends, not really sure what to say. "What...what did you think it was...?"

The toys exchanged some looks. Slinky coughed before speaking. "Well, er...we thought maybe ya had some stuff you needed to figure out."

"We knew how much you suffered from everything with Queen Martian." Dolly said. "We just didn't know what it left you in."

Mrs. Potato Head sighed, before looking at her hands in her lap. She could still feel her friends stares on her.

"Mrs. Potato Head?" Trixie asked. The spud looked up. "What..was going on inside your head when it happened?"

Mrs. Potato Head looked at the eyes that stared with concern at her. She continued to bite her lip. "Well, it was more of the memory. The things Queen Martian had said that hurt me the most still remained in there, and I chose to listen when I didn't think I could fight it..."

"But, why would you listen?" Jessie asked. "You know nothin' she said is true..."

Mrs. Potato Head had to better clear it up for the cowgirl. "Jessie, if Prospector Pete was in your head and telling you that you were worthless, how would you react...?"

The cowgirl's emerald green eyes widened just a bit, fully understanding. Woody and Buzz both put their hands on each of her shoulders in comfort. Mrs. Potato Head nodded.

"The worse of it all left me in pain." Mrs. Potato Head said. "And...I know things like this don't pass within a few hours...but I just needed a reminder to help me with the push."

"What was the reminder?" Slinky asked.

Mrs. Potato Head thought about her dream. "Just the thought of why I had the last laugh on Queen Martian. The reason why I fought and won."

Woody crossed his arms. "Anything we can do?"

Mrs. Potato Head smiled. "You already have."

The toys all grinned as well, before running and bouldering Mrs. Potato Head into a group hug. The female spud felt a cool rush of happiness shine through her. If it wasn't her husband or kids that couldn't put a smile on her face, it was her goofy group of friends that could. Sometimes, that was the best needed medicine.

"Uh, where's your husband?" Dolly asked. Mrs. Potato Head shifted her eyes to the closet, where Mr. Potato Head had went to go talk to the boys.

Across the room, Mr. Potato Head inched the closet door open. Besides wanting to apologize to his kids, opening the closet gave him a fright after what happened a few hours ago. The spud stepped inside. Everything had been cleaned up by the rest of the toys. The LGMs stood in the corner, facing away.

"Boys?" Mr. Potato Head asked. No answer. Instead, they inched closer together. "Listen, I'm sorry..."

Mr. Potato Head stopped his own apology, knowing he couldn't fix this with something that simple. The spud tapped his fingers together, a million different excuses running through his head. It then dawned upon him that maybe he owed them a different kind of apology. Not one for yelling at them, but for the reason his words took such a toll on them.

"When you guys rescued us from the incinerator...when I accepted you three." Mr. Potato Head said. The LGMs kept their backs turned. "I finally became your father, but I never apologized at all."

The LGMS perked up just a bit, as the spud continued. "Boys, what can I say? The whole reason I made that stupid deal with your mom all those years ago, was because I didn't know how I wanted to be involved and just decided to let it scare me, instead. I was a coward."

The aliens still didn't turn around.

"It took me a decade, and it shouldn't have." Mr. Potato Head explained. "A whole decade of battling with myself. It had nothing to do with you three, I swear, it was all me."

The LGMs had listened carefully, but still refused to turn around. Mr. Potato Head sighed, taking a seat on the floor. He tried thinking of something else to say. He inched forward, while still staying seated.

"Did I ever tell you three how I met your mother?" The spud asked. Their little pointy ears shifted in his direction, and their father smiled. "It was Christmas, almost eleven years ago. She was Molly's present, but Andy loved her."

Squirt turned to look at his father. "Everyone loves her."

Mr. Potato Head nodded. "When Andy left for his grandma's, all his new toys were upstairs. I was so nervous to talk to her. She was just so-"

"Beautiful?" Brainy asked, also turning around.

"Exactly." Mr. Potato Head said. Squirt and Brainy smiled, but Champ still remained with his back turned. Both his brothers tapped him on the shoulder, urging for him to turn too. After a moment, Champ finally gave in.

Mr. Potato Head looked at his boys. "I'm sorry..."

Squirt hopped over to his dad and right into his arms. Squirt had always been the runt of his brothers, but he was still special in his parents' eyes. Even if Mr. Potato Head didn't always address it.

"I'm proud of you, Squirt." Mr. Potato Head said to his son. Squirt closed his eyes, leaning into his dad's hug.

There was a sudden knock at the closet door. Mr. Potato Head and the LGMs both looked, Mrs. Potato Head standing there.

"Hope I'm not interrupting." The female spud said, carefully.

Her husband smiled, before putting his son down. "Actually, you're right on time."

Mrs. Potato Head smiled, before her boys went hopping up to her.

"You're not going anywhere again, are you?" Squirt asked with worry. Mrs. Potato Head smiled, before stroking her smallest son on his head.

"No, never again." She assured.

Mr. Potato Head walked over, before taking her free hand. "Good, cause we'd miss you too much." He said with a wink. Mrs. Potato Head felt her insides flutter with happiness, as her husband pulled her in for a kiss.

All three LGMs covered their eyes with their hands. "Ewwwwww." They all said. Their parents pulled back, chuckling.

"Guys?" Woody asked, stepping into the closet. The spuds looked towards the cowboy. "I'm glad everything's okay, just wanted to tell you guys something."

"What is it?" Mrs. Potato Head asked.

"Just reminding you that Bonnie has a playdate tomorrow after daycare." Woody said. "Apparently her friend has a new toy thats she's brining over."

"Which friend?" Mr. Potato Head asked.

"Uh, I think her name's Lucy."

Mr. Potato Head's mouth fell off in shock.

 **To be continued...**

 **Next chapter is the last ... :)**


	10. Chapter 10

"There's no way, spud head." Hamm said, as him and Mr. Potato Head stood underneath the window of Bonnie's bedroom. They waited patiently, as Slinky stood on the window sill. It was Tuesday afternoon, and they were waiting patiently for Bonnie to come home. Mainly, so Mr. Potato Head could prove his belief.

"I'm telling ya, porky." Mr. Potato Head said, trying to convince the piggy bank. "It's gotta be Pizza Boy."

"It's Pizza MAN."

"Shoot, I keep getting it wrong." The spud said, with a swing of his fist. He looked up at the window. "What's the status, Slink?"

"Uh..." Slinky turned his head from the window to his two friends down bellow. "Nothin' yet, Potato Head. But, Bonnie's not suppose to be home a for a while."

"Well, keep looking." Mr. Potato Head called up. "So I can point out to Hamm when Bonnie's friend has Pizza Man in her hand."

"Okay, even is she _did_." Hamm said. "Theoretically, he would probably be in her backpack."

"Fine." Mr. Potato Head said.

"Why're you so excited, anyway?" Hamm said, as him and Mr. Potato Head strolled away from the window. "Isn't this the guy who loves your wife?"

Mr. Potato Head crossed his arms. "You had to remind me?"

"Then why the ham hock are you anticipating this guy's arrival?" Hamm asked.

"Just to prove that you're not always right." Mr. Potato cocked a smile.

Hamm shook his head. "I _am_ right, spud for brains."

"Says who?"

"No one, but who says that you're the one who's right? Your idea isn't built on any theory."

"You wanna talk theory, pork belly?" Mr. Potato Head said. "Fact, the girl's name is Lucy. Fact, The detective's daughter's name was Lucy. Fact, she just got a new toy. Fact-"

"Saying fact in front of everything doesn't make you any smarter..."

"Shush." The spud continued. "And, Pizza Man was just given to the guy's daughter this past weekend. It's gotta be her."

"Come on, that's just a coincidence." Hamm said, still not believing him.

"Oh please, don't be ignorant."

"Ignorant?" Hamm took a sharp halt to their walk, clearly offended. Mr. Potato Head sighed, stopping as well.

The male spud turned to look at his friend. "That's not what I meant-"

"Okay, spud head." Hamm said, a little aggressively. "I want the real reason."

"Real reason for what?"

"Don't be a goof." Hamm accused. "Any other day, if a toy who loved your wife was supposedly going to show up, you'd be rooting for them not to."

"So?" Mr. Potato Head said, all of a sudden feeling a little smaller than usual.

Hamm arched an eyebrow. "So, why the heck are you betting everything that it's him?"

Mr. Potato Head shook his head, letting out a puff of air in frustration. He kept his hands on his hips, all of a sudden avoiding eye contact with Hamm. The piggy bank rolled his eyes.

"Potato Head, what else happened in that evidence room?" Hamm asked, knowing there was more to it.

Mr. Potato Head clucked, judgmentally. "What else is there to explain? We said bye on a good note, and he got a new owner." Mr. Potato Head then uttered a frustrated breath before continuing on the last point. "...and the guy loves my wife."

Hamm still wasn't convinced. "I want details, spud head. Why aren't you freaking out? Wanting to pound this guy's face in? Feeling-"

"OKAY!" Mr. Potato Head said, finally giving in. "I'm furious. The thought of anyone being head over heels for the woman of my dreams drives me crazy. I hate it, I absolutely hate it!"

"Then why do you care about this guy, coming?" Hamm asked.

"Because...!" Mr. Potato Head put a hand to the bridge of his nose, sighing in vexation. "Because...I see myself in him."

Hamm almost had to ask him to repeat it, even though he heard it clearly. "What d'ya mean you see yourself in him?"

The spud's arms felt weighed down all of a sudden. "I'm upset. But, I'm not mad at the guy. He said how my wife was the first toy that's ever made him feel like he isn't worthless. And to be honest, she's the first who made me feel that same way, too. She's a miracle like that."

Hamm nodded. "So you guys are on...mutual levels."

Mr. Potato Head shrugged. "I know I never say this, but...he's a good guy." The spud admitted. "He told me honestly, but said that it would never escalate to anything else."

The piggy bank looked towards the window where Slinky remained, and back at Mr. Potato Head. "So, it never will. It's settled."

"Yeah. But, we thought that was the last we'd see each other." Mr. Potato Head said.

"Maybe it was. I'm telling you, this might not even be him." Hamm said.

"Oh come on, of course it is." Mr. Potato Head said. "It's _us_. Everything impossible happens to this group."

Hamm exhaled in exasperation. "Spud head, have you talked to your wife about any of this?"

Mr. Potato Head crossed his arms. "Wanna take a wild guess?"

Hamm scoffed. "There's your problem. Go find her."

"Alright, alright." Mr. Potato Head said, about to walk off. He stopped, before smirking. "Hey, wanna make this interesting?"

Hamm arched an eyebrow. "How, exactly?"

"A bet." The spud said. "If it is Pizza Man, I get your fifty cents worth from the year nineteen ten."

"And if I win?"

Mr. Potato Head sighed. "You get my hat for a week."

"You're on." Hamm said, before the spud shook his hoof. "Now go let your missus know what you're feeling, before I do."

Mr. Potato Head nodded, before walking off to go find his wife. The male spud spotted her across the room, with the LGMs. He smiled, looking at his family from a distance. Oddly enough though, Rex was there too.

"Using their names as discipline is said to help." Mrs. Potato Head explained to Rex, as the female spud tended to her three children.

The dinosaur nodded. "Wow, you're good at this!" Rex said. Mrs. Potato Head couldn't help but smile, flattered.

"Uh, hey." Mr. Potato Head said.

His wife looked up. "Hey you, where've you been?"

Mr. Potato Head smiled. "Just trying to prove to Hamm that Bonnie's friend's toy is Pizza Man."

Mrs. Potato Head straightened Champ's antenna, adoringly. "You're still on that, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Mr. Potato Head asked. "So uh, are you teaching Godzilla parenting skills, or is this the apocalypse?"

Mrs. Potato Head shook her head. "Since these little ones are always sneaking off to the kitchen, I'm just making sure someone who's often there is able to discipline them if neccessary."

"And Rex was the best option...?" Mr. Potato Head asked, on the verge to laugh.

"Hey!" Rex said.

"There's no one else ever in the kitchen besides him and Trixie, who else could I teach besides them?"

"Hey!" Rex said, again.

Mr. Potato Head rolled his eyes at the dinosaur. "Listen honey, I actually need to talk to you about Pizza Man."

"Oh." Mrs. Potato Head said. "What about-"

The Potato Heads both turned to look at Rex, who still stood there. The dinosaur stared back for a second, before realizing they needed to talk alone.

"Oh, uh...I-I'm coming, Trixie!" Rex faked.

Mr. Potato Head once again rolled his eyes at the dinosaur. "You too, boys." He told the LGMs.

The aliens looked up at their mom. "Mommy?"

Mrs. Potato Head bit her lip. "You heard your dad, okay?"

"You won't going through the mystic portal, again?" Squirt asked, with big eyes.

"No, I promise." Mrs. Potato Head assured her son. The boys then hopped off. Their parents watched them go.

"Why do they keep asking you if you're going anywhere?" Mr. Potato Head asked his wife.

Mrs. Potato Head sighed. "When you were trapped under the wax, they made me promise I wouldn't disappear again after I was kidnapped."

"Oh." Mr. Potato Head said, the thought alone of his wife's previous kidnap sending him to a place of sorrow. "But, about Pizza Man...?"

"Right, right." Mrs. Potato Head said, trying to stay on subject. "What about him?"

Mr. Potato Head hesitated, before gingerly taking his wife's hand. He led them to a lone book, that they both sat down on.

"Honey," Mr. Potato Head began. "I know this might come as a shock, but..." The spud was irritated at the thought.

His wife looked for a response in his eyes. "My gosh, what is it?"

Mr. Potato Head squeezed her hand. "Pizza Man was...well, _is_ in love with you."

He waited for a shocked reaction from her, but there was none. "I know."

Mr. Potato Head reacted angrily. "Wait, what? Did he tell you?" The male spud asked in an aggressive tone. "Did he tell you he loved you when he knew we were married? That son of a building block-!"

"No, no, no, no." Mrs. Potato Head tried to keep her husband sane, just in case Pizza Man really did show up. "It's not like that, at all."

"Then how do you know?"

"Queen Martian, that's how." Mrs. Potato Head said, uttering her name like a curse. She sighed in sadness at the thought of Pizza Man. "The poor thing, he clearly wanted to keep it hidden. But, she just had to use it against him."

"Use it against him?"

Mrs. Potato Head nodded, taking both her husband's hands. "I know he did the right thing in the end, but when he wasn't, it was because Queen Martian was using his feelings to keep him on her side. Using the thought of never being with...me, as a way to pry him into being like her."

"What a hag." Mr. Potato Head said, thinking of the mother alien. "That's probably all she knew what to do. Use people's fears against them. The guy deserves way better than that!"

Mrs. Potato Head smiled. "My, you certainly seem to care about him."

Mr. Potato Head realized how much he had defended the pizza toy. "It's just...the guy's life has been a wreck. I understand why he likes you, but he's got good morals. He would never do anything to ruin us. At least I don't think..."

His wife caressed his hand. "Had a little heart-to-heart with him, did you?"

"Yeah, when we were evidence." Mr. Potato Head said. "But, it was you know...manly."

Mrs. Potato Head chuckled. "You're good to have listened."

Mr. Potato Head continued to squeeze his wife's hand. "You know, a part of me thinks that maybe he deserved something in return."

"I suppose." Mrs. Potato Head said.

Mr. Potato Head looked at his wife, a sparkle shining in her eyes. "You feeling better?"

"Lots." Mrs. Potato Head assured her husband. "But, I still get chills every here and there."

The male spud leaned in. "Maybe I can help with that..."

"Oh, darling..." the female spud whispered, before her husband locked lips with her's. He kissed her, making up for what was suppose to be a happy reunion yesterday, but ended up turning into a crisis. The feeling of his wife's hands in his, her lips on his, having her close, sent a feeling of love and intimacy right through him. He pulled her closer, continuing to kiss her. The male spud knew right then and there, they both deserved each other. There was no doubt about it.

Mr. Potato Head pulled away, his wife sighing in happiness. He reached a hand to her face, caressing her cheek.

"It's a lot better when Lightyear and Jessie aren't interrupting us." Mr. Potato Head said, putting his other arm around his wife's waist. She relaxed in his warm embrace.

Mrs. Potato Head rested her hands on her husband's shoulders. "I agree."

The male spud once again pulled her in to kiss her. He carefully moved his lips from her's to her cheek, charming her beyond she could imagine. She smiled, pulling herself closer if it was possible.

"Hey, y'all!" Slinky called from the window. "Bonnie's home, their car just pulled in!"

The Potato Heads separated from their kiss with a loud lip smack sound, hoping no one had been watching. As all the toys began to run to position, so did they.

"Watch me win a bet against Hamm." Mr. Potato Head laughed to his wife as they go into place.

"What?" Mrs. Potato Head asked.

* * *

Pizza Man fumbled around inside a back pack, feeling the van coming to a stop. He heard the laughs of the little girls through the fabric of the bag as it was lifted up.

"I'm gonna guess we're here." Pizza Man laughed. He looked towards a purple pencil case, speaking to the small zebra keychain that was attached to it's zipper.

"Why're you so chirpy?" The zebra keychain asked. "You were complaining the whole backpack ride, here."

"What was your name, again?"

The zebra keychain rolled his eyes. "Charlie, remember?"

Pizza Man arched an eyebrow. "Who gave you that name?"

"My friends."

Pizza Man looked around the empty backpack as it continued to shift with the little girl's motion. "Friends?" He asked in a deadpanned voice.

"Me, myself, and I." Charlie said, matter-o-factly. "The best kind of friend someone could have."

Pizza Man scoffed. "This is why I'm thankful everyday I'm not a keychain."

"Hey!" Charlie snapped. "Don't forget the whole reason you're a toy of Lucy's is because of three little green aliens that were once...oh yes, A CAR DANGLER."

"That's a car dangler, not a keychain."

"Same difference, bud."

Pizza Man rolled his eyes. "I'll make sure to tell the LGMs that when I see them, so I can make a fool out of you."

"You don't even know if this will be the same house."

"Oh, come on." Pizza Man argued. "Her friend's name is Bonnie who also goes to Sunnyside. It has to be the same girl."

The zebra keychain swung on his on is zipper from the motion of the backpack. "Well, have you seen what she looks like?"

Pizza Man crossed his arms. "No..."

"Then you have no proof."

Pizza Man shook his head in annoyance. "Whatever. Them or not, as long as I'm still with Lucy and the rest of her toys my life is complete."

"Oh, so you enjoy the company of the rest of Lucy's toys, but not mine!" Charlie argued.

"They were really welcoming!" Pizza Man said about Lucy's toys in his new home. "Also, regular toys don't act crazy like you keychains. You're probably the worst travel mate I could ask for."

The zebra keychain smirked. "Worst travel mate you could ask for? I don't think so."

Pizza Man sighed, having regret of telling this zebra his life story with Queen Martian. "Okay, fine. Not the worst."

"Walked right into that one, didn't ya?"

"What else I'm I suppose to do when I'm stuck in a backpack all day? At least talking to a weird loner like you means I could get some laughs out of it."

"There is nothing to laugh at me about." Charlie said, puffing his chest out. "I happen to be perfect. Just ask any of my friends. Which is ME."

Pizza Man looked at him weirdly. "You keychains are nothing but bizarre. Why would-"

The pizza toy stopped that sentence when he felt the bag drop to the floor. The impact was hard, allowing him and Charlie to be winded and huff from the hit. Right after, both the toy and the keychain went lifeless in anticipation of Lucy to open her backpack. But, there was no motion as such. They both stayed frozen, while listening to the discussion outside the bag.

"How 'bout the park first? Then you guys can play with your toys, after." A woman's voice spoke.

"Okay!" A squeaky voice said in return.

"Okay!" The other agreed. The sounds of their little hurried footsteps ran away, with the following of the larger one walking behind. There was a sudden sound of a closed door, and then nothing else but the echoes of the voices clearly coming from another room. Pizza Man waited patiently, not wanting to slip up and reveal his ability to be alive after only being with Lucy for a weekend. The house was soon quiet, and Pizza Man could subtly hear a car pull out of it's driveway.

"Ha." Charlie said. "Looks like you're gonna have to wait for playtime."

"Oh, please." Pizza Man said. "That's pretty sad coming from you. All you do is zip, and unzip."

"But, I'm stunning." The zebra keychain bragged. "You know how many compliments Lucy gets on me?"

"Shush." Pizza Man said, turning away. He leaned against the fabric of the bag, in hopes of listening to anything that might be happening outside of it. In the back of his mind, though he wouldn't admit it to Charlie, he was really hoping that he was at the house he had hoped it would be. The pizza toy pushed at the fabric. If he was correct, he could hear the commotion of toys going about their business like any functioning room of a child. But, that didn't really indicate that it was the same Bonnie who's room he was in. He slumped his shoulders a bit in disappointment.

"Nothing, eh?" Charlie asked.

"Shut up, I can't hear anything over your cocky voice!" Pizza Man said, a little too loudly. The pizza toy shut his mouth, realizing how much his voice had thundered. The bag was quiet of it's two occupants again, as they listened for any response. The commotion that was happening outside the bag had stopped completely, clearly having heard the loud voice that erupted from the backpack. There were a few footsteps, but no use of voices that Pizza Man could identify with who he had met this past week. It was all of a sudden dead silence all around. Pizza Man felt as though he was being watched, even though he was inside a bag.

Pizza Man looked towards Charlie, who also seemed to be thoroughly creeped out from the silence that had descended. The zebra didn't say anything, unsuspected by Pizza Man, and instead just looked at the toy in hopes of him making the next move.

Before Pizza Man could do anything though, the zipper of the backpack inched open just a bit. The bright light of the room peered into the bag, blinding both the toy and the keychain from being inside it for most of the day. When Pizza Man's eyes adjusted, he looked at the opened crack. Nothing showed but the bright light. He continued to stare at the opening, in anticipation of anything that might happen. A face, a greeting, a question, anything.

"Uh, hello?" Pizza Man spoke.

The next thing he knew, a fabricated arm with a plastic hand was shoved into the bag, grabbing Pizza Man by the arm in a startling motion. He was yanked out within the blink of an eye, gaining motion sickness from the way he was shook around.

"YEEHAW!" The red-headed cowgirl's voice shrieked. Pizza Man gained immediate recognition of Jessie, despite the fact that she was hastily shaking him around. If that loud, excited yodel didn't sell it, what could?

"It's really you!" Jessie said, rubbing a playful fist on the top of Pizza Man's head.

"Hey, hey! Watch the crust!" Pizza Man said. However, his demand couldn't have possibly been heard over the laughter of all the other toys who were quickly bouldering him into a a giant, messy huddle of a hug. Pizza Man merely rolled his eyes when he gained recognition of all the faces of Bonnie Anderson's toys.

As soon as the commotion stopped, Pizza Man took a good look at them. He swayed a bit, overwhelmed by the crazed motion.

"Sorry about that." Woody apologized, though he was grinning. "We're not exactly the normal kind of family, if you hadn't already noticed."

Pizza Man smiled. "Trust me, I figured it all out last week to begin with."

"I knew it! I just knew it was gonna be you!" Rex said, excitedly.

"Nuh-uh. That was _me_ , Godzilla." Mr. Potato Head remarked. The spud looked towards Hamm with a smirk. "Fifty cents, please!" The piggy bank mumbled something aggressive under his breath before paying what he promised in their bet.

Pizza Man looked towards the Potato Heads as soon as Mr. Potato Head had spoken up. It was awkward for a second, before Mrs. Potato Head decided to break the silence with something shocking, yet neccessary.

"Sweetie?" Mrs. Potato Head asked her husband. "Remember how you said he deserves something in return?"

The look in his wife's eyes allowed Mr. Potato Head to know exactly what she was thinking. A small part of him wished she was joking, but another knew it was asking to be done. There was no doubt.

"Yeah, go for it." Mr. Potato Head said, hoping it would be done quickly.

Mrs. Potato Head smiled before walking up to Pizza Man and giving him a kiss on the cheek. The pizza toy's eyes widened, while his pepperoni moustache flickered.

She pulled away, and Pizza Man remained wide-eyed through a fluttering feeling. "What...was that for-?"

"For everything." Mrs. Potato Head said. "It's not common for any of our past enemies to have made the right decision last minute."

"But, that's all you get." Mr. Potato Head pointed a finger in warning, while his wife came and stood by him again.

"A-absolutely." Pizza Man said, wildly fluttered by her kiss.

"Especially because of the feelings you have for miss you-know-who." Hamm chuckled. In return, the room didn't laugh and instead turned tense. The piggy bank realized that he had spoke at the wrong moment.

Mr. Potato Head angrily eyed the piggy bank. "Hamm." He spoke through gritted teeth.

"No, listen." Pizza Man said. "I mean, if he wasn't going to mention it, I would."

Mr. Potato Head crossed his arms, wanting to avoid the conversation. "I don't think there's much to talk about..."

"Guys, maybe we shouldn't get into this now." Woody said, stepping in. "Pizza Man, you're here and that's all that matters."

"...except that he loves my wife..." Mr. Potato Head muttered under his breath. Woody shot an angry look at the spud.

"See, right there!" Pizza Man pointed at the male spud. "We're not ending this discussion until everything is at peace. I refuse to have Lucy be friend's with a girl who's toys hate me."

"I didn't say I hate you!" Mr. Potato Head snapped. "If I did, you'd be half way to China by now!"

"Enough!" Mrs. Potato Head bellowed. "My goodness, it's like an argument between toddlers!"

"Your fault for marrying one." Hamm joked to Buttercup, who chuckled. Both Potato Heads shot death glares at the two snickering toys.

"Look." Pizza Man began. "I know you'll never believe me when I say that I don't still love...her..."

"No kidding." Mr. Potato Head said.

Pizza Man sighed. "I still mean everything I said in that investigation room. So, maybe I can convince you that I found a love that overshadows that."

The male spud's mouth dropped open. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Mr. Potato Head said. "Falling for another woman after you said you loved my woman?"

"You devious dog." Slinky said, almost a little too aggressively to Pizza Man.

The LGMs bounced over the the group of toys, after watching from a distance for a while. They hid behind their parents, while peering around them to watch the current argument.

Buzz scratched the back of his head. "Pizza Man, that is a little...presumptuous."

Pizza Man rolled his eyes. "I'm not in love with a new woman, you idiots. I'm talking about a little girl."

"Ew." The toys all said, giving disgusted faces in return.

Woody groaned, while slapping a hand to his face. "GUYS. He's talking about Lucy."

"Thank you! Finally, someone's smart enough to point it out." Pizza Man said, motioning towards the cowboy. He looked back at the rest of the toys. "It turns out, the care from an owner gave me a love a lot stronger."

Mrs. Potato Head smiled. "Well, I guess we can all relate to that."

Pizza Man nodded at the female spud. "I may still be...attracted to you. I mean who wouldn't be? You're smoking-"

"Get to the point." Mr. Potato Head spat.

"But, in terms of feelings." Pizza Man said. "I swear to you, it'll die over time as long as I have Lucy. I mean, a kid is all I've ever been looking for. You said it yourself, every toy is needed somewhere."

Mrs. Potato Head smiled at the fact that Pizza Man still remembered their discussion from the garage a few days ago. That seemed to be the first moment that she had thought of her kidnap without feeling traumatized. She only looked at the good memory.

The female spud looked towards her husband, "darling?"

Mr. Potato Head sighed before squeezing his wife's hand and putting his other arm around the LGMs that now stood beside him. "I can live with that."

Pizza Man nodded. "Thank you."

"Ya see?" Slinky said, stepping forward while wagging his tail. "This is just like when Rex hadda crush on Mrs. P when she first came to Andy's room."

Mr. Potato Head whipped his head towards the slinky dog, before looking at Rex. "What!?"

"Nothing!" Rex yelled in fear, before bolting out of the room. Trixie, Dolly, and Buttercup chased after him to get him to calm down. The rest of the toys all exchanged looks, before bursting into a set of laughter.

"Well," Woody said when the laughter died down. "If Bonnie and Lucy play their cards right, maybe we'll see you at more playdates."

Pizza Man nodded. "I should hope so. Maybe some of you will come on over to Oakwood."

Mr. Potato Head perked up. "Wait, did you say...Oakwood?"

"Yeah."

"Oakwood, as in the street across the way with all those big, fancy houses?" Mr. Potato Head said in disbelief. "Are you telling me that you live in the lap of luxury?"

"29 Oakwood, that's the one." Pizza Man said with a shrug.

Mr. Potato Head looked at his wife. "I think it's best Bonnie remains friends with Lucy."

The toys once again laughed, before all dispersing back to their activities now that everything was settled. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head felt little hands tug at their wrists, before they turned around. They looked at their kids, who stared back at them with big eyes.

"It is over?" Squirt asked.

"The universe is rid of mystic evil?" Brainy also asked.

Mr. Potato Head smiled, while putting an arm around his wife. "Yes boys, it does."

"Through the indication of laughter." Champ said. Both his parents exchanged a look as soon as he spoke those words. That doesn't sound like him.

"Where did you hear that?" Mr. Potato Head asked.

"The hedgehooooog." The LGMs said, pointing in the direction of Mr. Pricklepants.

Mr. Potato Head groaned. "That's the last time I let _pants_ recite theatre in front of you three." The male spud said through frustration. His wife giggled, before taking in the image of all three of her children.

"I love all three of you, I hope you know that." Mrs. Potato Head told her children. Her kids exchanged some smiles, before hopping up to both their parents into a family hug. Mr. Potato Head was the exterior of the hug, his arms wrapped tightly around his family. The ones that meant the absolute most to him in the world. The ones he hoped never to take for granted. Not ever again. But, he wouldn't worry too much about that. Not when he had this ongoing feeling of how much he truly loved his wife and kids.

"I love you, too." Mr. Potato Head said to his boys. Him and his family chuckled in delight in the group hug. He caught a glimpse of his wife, who smiled with absolute delight. After years of inactivity between Mr. Potato Head and the LGMs, this truly lifted her spirit beyond imagination. Her husband could see it all reflect in her eyes like a dream come true. What she had always hoped for. What she deserved. What she was eternally grateful for. He squeezed her in the hug just a little bit more.

"Um." Pizza Man said, coming up behind them. The Potato Heads and their children stopped hugging and turned around to look at the pizza toy. He stood there, awkwardly.

"Just so you know, I really do mean it." Pizza Man said.

"Don't worry, we believe you." Mrs. Potato Head assured him, keeping in her husband's embrace while their kids shifted to the side.

"Hey!" A voice spoke inside from Lucy's backpack. They looked towards the bag at Charlie's voice. "Now that you're all buddy-buddy with your friends, can you unlatch me from this pencil case?"

Pizza Man rolled his eyes, when looking back at the Potato Heads.

"Friend of yours?" Mrs. Potato Head asked, referencing Charlie.

"Not even close." Pizza Man said. "Just a keychain along for the ride."

"Pfft. Keychains." Mr. Potato Head spat. "Nothing but bizarre."

"That's what I said!" Pizza Man said through a smile. Mr. Potato Head also smiled, recognizing Pizza Man for something he hadn't before for what felt like the first time. A friend.

"Hey, everybody!" Slinky said, from across the room. "Hamm got the stereo working, again!"

Hamm nodded, while cocking a smile. He pressed the play button on Bonnie's green mini stereo, before a familiar tune began to play.

 _"You've gotta friend in me..."_

Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head exchanged a look, knowing this song all too well.

"Ugh." Pizza Man clucked in disgust. "I hate this song."

"Try listening to it for years." Mr. Potato Head said. "It's like no one around here has any other taste in music."

Mrs. Potato Head looked towards the rest of her family that all gathered in the middle, listening to the song. She couldn't help but chuckle at Buzz, Jessie, and Woody dancing in the middle of the crowd.

"I like it." The female spud said. Her husband and Pizza Man both looked at her, judgementally. "It reminds me that I'm where I'm suppose to be."

Her husband's judgement faded and was replaced with a smile for her reasoning. The same went for Pizza Man.

"Look, I was wondering if we could start over?" Pizza Man asked.

Mrs. Potato Head shrugged her shoulders. "I won't disagree to that."

Pizza Man grinned, and held out his hand. "The name's Pizza Man. I belong to Lucy."

Mr. Potato Head shook his hand in return. "Mr. Potato Head, and this is the missus." He said, 'introducing' him and his wife.

Pizza Man looked towards the LGMs. "Are these your kids?"

Mrs. Potato Head nodded.

"Yes. Their names are Champ, Brainy, and Squirt."

 **The end. :)**

 **Author's note:**

 **The story is done! Sorry it took so long to get the last chapter up. I was just trying to think of a good way to end it, and I ended up rewriting a whole chunk of it. The same kind of thing actually happened for chapter 2, only because the wifi went out then and I had to rewrite the whole moment when the Potato Heads were deciding names for the LGMs. I was so disappointed, because the first version of that chapter was way better than the second version. (Also random note, I think some of you may have missed chapter 8 because it was posted in a weird time frame, so if you missed that chapter make sure to read it because it's relevant to the story.) But either way, I'm happy with how this whole story turned out (another shoutout to Bunny-CarrotHunter for the inspiration!). Please make sure to rate and review! Also, make sure to say if you have any suggestions for a Toy Story fic ideally around the Potato Heads, because if you've read any of my other stories, you know they're my absolute favourite pairing (*wink, wink* to go check those out). Thank you SO much for reading!**

 **~McSgwizzle**


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